James "Sonny" Goggles, a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, remains in serious condition after being shot in the head in Riverton, Wyoming, on July 18, 2015. His family is raising funds to aid his recovery. Photo from Give Forward
The Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming continues to press for a federal hate crimes investigation into the shootings of two of its members. Stallone Trosper, 29, was murdered after being shot in the head while he slept in a detoxification center in Riverton on July 18. James “Sonny” Goggles, Jr., 50, remains in serious condition after also being shot in the head. Even though a non-Indian man has allegedly admitted he shot the tribal members, local authorities don't believe race was a factor in the crime. Tribal leaders and members find that hard to accept. “There’s a lot of animosity toward the Indian people,” Chairman Dean Goggles told The New York Times. “It’s always been there.”
Stallone Winter Eagle Trosper, 1986-2015. Photo from family obituary / County 10
Roy Clyde, the alleged assailant, was a city parks worker who reportedly told authorities that he went out looking for homeless people to kill. Finding none in a park where tribal members are known to congregate, he headed to the Center of Hope on West Adams Avenue. Clyde was bound to find a Native victim at the facility. According to local officials, 85 percent of the clients are Native Americans, the Times reported. Trosper and Goggles were both shot as they slept in the center. Trosper was pronounced dead at the scene while Goggles remains in treatment at hospital in Casper. He can barely speak and may never be able to walk again, the Times said. About 11,000 people live in Riverton, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Of those, about 10.4 percent are American Indian or Alaska Native. Many are members of the Northern Arapaho Tribe or the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. The two tribes are based on the Wind River Reservation and both contend Riverton remains a part of their land base. Local and state officials are suing in federal court in hopes of declaring that Riverton is no longer Indian Country. Get the Story:
In Wyoming, Shooting Highlights Divide Between a City and a Reservation (The New York Times 7/30)
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