⏱ 2 min read
A deadly argument at an outdoor gathering near Lower Brule, South Dakota, ended in tragedy when 19-year-old Jami Johnson and another person opened fire, killing two young adults. The incident occurred on August 11, 2025, on the Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservation. Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on April 30, 2026. The case was prosecuted in federal court due to the Major Crimes Act, which mandates that certain violent crimes in Indian Country be tried at the federal level.
Johnson’s sentence was handed down on July 29, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte. He will serve 17 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that the sentence cannot heal the wounds of the victims’ families but hopes it will bring them some measure of justice and peace. The case is part of the Department of Justice’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which aims to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people.
The incident has shaken the community, with U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons calling it a ‘horrifying and senseless act of violence.’ The MMIP program is working to address the high rates of missing and murdered Indigenous persons in the United States.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Violent Crime
- Defendant: South Dakota
- Location: SD
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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