Federal authorities failed to investigate the deaths of two members of the Crow Tribe of Montana, according to a new lawsuit.
Steven Bearcrane-Cole, 23, died in February 2005 during a shooting on the reservation. The U.S. Attorney's Office in South Dakota, which handled the case due to a potential conflict in Montana, declined to prosecute for unknown reasons.
Robert "Bugsy" Springfield, 48, went missing during a hunting trip in September 2004. His remains were found on the reservation in October 2005, though it took years for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to release his body due to a backlog in DNA processing.
The lawsuit alleges the FBI and federal prosecutors mishandled the cases. "[T]here's a pattern and practice of not adequately investigating and prosecuting cases in which the victims are Native American," attorney Patricia Bangert told The Billings Gazette.
Get the Story:
Survivors sue FBI, attorneys
(The Billings Gazette 3/3)
Related Stories:
Crow man's remains may be finally coming home (11/1)
Trending in News
1 White House Council on Native American Affairs meets quick demise under Donald Trump
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
More Stories
Share this Story!
You are enjoying stories from the Indianz.Com Archive, a collection dating back to 2000. Some outgoing links may no longer work due to age.
All stories in the Indianz.Com Archive are available for publishing via Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)