Kevin Abourezk and Amelia Schafer
ICT + Rapid City Journal
A 57-year-old man who was shot during a South Dakota powwow Friday has died, according an Oglala Sioux Tribe council member.
Tom Thunder Hawk was shot several times on Friday night while attending the Oglala Lakota Nation Wacipi and Fair and was life-flighted to Monument Health, a hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota. A hospital spokesperson said Monday that Thunder Hawk was no longer listed as a patient there.
Garfield Steele, an Oglala Lakota councilman, told ICT that Thunder Hawk died.
Tribal police took a suspect into custody after the shooting, which sent dancers and powwow attendees running for cover.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety issued a statement saying the shooting occurred during a confrontation between several males.
“On August 2, 2024, at about 10:20 PM, a confrontation between several males took place at the pow wow grounds in Pine Ridge. During the altercation, a 57-year-old male was shot multiple times. The suspect fled the scene on foot but was later apprehended while attempting to leave the area in a vehicle. The victim was transported to the Pine Ridge emergency room and subsequently airlifted to Monument Health in Rapid City for further treatment. The incident is still under investigation, and there is no danger to the public at this time.”
Tribal police, powwow security officers and ambulance personnel responded to the shooting, and the powwow was ended following the shooting, according to the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
The tribe said that further information will be provided after the investigation progresses. The powwow continued Saturday and Sunday.
Oglala Sioux Tribe citizen Cece Big Crow, who was at the powwow at the time of the shooting, gave ICT permission to share her description of the experience, which she shared on Facebook:
“I had my 3-year-old Takoja (grandchild) sleeping in a chair next to me,” she said. “My cousin had her takojas with us. We were told to ‘get down!’ I looked and people were running all directions! I was already laying on top of my Takoja! I didn’t even realize that I covered him.”
She said her cousin began building a barricade using chairs, but Big Crow didn’t have many chairs around her to do the same so she ran to a building and then to her husband who was standing near the powwow grounds entry. After leaving her grandson with her husband, Big Crow ran back into the powwow grounds to get her cousin. As she did so, she saw a police officer leading a man away in handcuffs.
After finding her cousin, the two women ran to Big Crow’s car and tried to leave the powwow grounds but were stopped by a traffic jam of other powwow attendees also trying to drive away. Big Crow said her daughter was working as a security guard Friday night, and she worried about her safety as well.
“I had her kids,” she said. “I didn’t know how close she was to the shooting. She wasn’t answering her phone. I just texted her that we were all safe. And asked if she was okay.”
As they drove away from the powwow grounds, Big Crow said she felt grateful she and so many people had made it out safely. She later found out her daughter had also survived the shooting. And Big Crow said she felt admiration for the many people she witnessed running toward the sound of the gunshots.
“They were brave,” she said. “All I wanted to do was to get my loved ones to safety!
“It sure puts a lot into perspective! For all who were affected by this stupid act, I pray that you are able to look to the blessing that a lot of us were safe and not allow this horrible stupid act to deter you from attending such a beautiful event as our Wacipi! This is the time when we look to our cultural ways! Pray for each other. Pray for the victim(s) and their loved ones! Pray for our brave souls who ran to protect us! Pray!”
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