Dylan Roof, Mass Shooting, South Carolina 2015

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Table of Contents

Roof’s Terror in Charleston

U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons announced that the 2018 Indian Country Conference: Offering Hope to Victims in the Spirit of Justice, was recently held in Bismarck, ND, on July 19-20, 2018, at the North Dakota Heritage Center.

The conference offered several speakers on a variety of topics, including presentations on Native Sexual Violence Victimology, Communication & Intervention, and Building Effective Partnerships in Assisting Victims of Mass Casualty Incidents. A session on how to avoid burn-out was also offered.

The case presented for the mass casualty incident was that of Dylan Roof, the mass shooter in the Charleston, SC, church shooting of June 2015. Presenting were an FBI agent and Victim Witness Specialist from Charleston, and Victim Witness Coordinator Marlys Big Eagle from the District of South Dakota, who assisted with the victims during the Roof trial.

The conference was geared towards law enforcement officers, victim service providers, prosecutors, social workers, judges, physicians and other medical professionals, mental health therapists, counselors, educators, court service officers, corrections officers, child care providers, parents, community leaders, and other concerned individuals from the two-state region of North Dakota and South Dakota.

One of the most important goals anyone in criminal justice can strive for is to ensure the victims are heard and respected, and the most important thing that any government does is protect the rights of its citizens.

U.S. Attorney Parsons announced new initiatives to combat violent crime in Indian Country, including an emphasis on targeting the illegal use of firearms, Project Safe Childhood to target sexual predators, and targeting the drug traffickers who plague our communities.

The District of South Dakota is also adding two brand new prosecutor positions, one in Rapid City and one in Pierre, to focus on violent crime and drug trafficking in Indian Country.

Conference attendees were provided new tools and resources to continue the commitment and dedication to work for justice for victims of crime.