Tribe Wants Hate-Crime Inquiry After Fatal Shooting

Native American group says Wyoming shooting warrants it
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 21, 2015 5:57 PM CDT
Tribe Wants Hate-Crime Inquiry After Fatal Shooting
This July 18 photo shows police officers surrounding the suspect in a shooting in Riverton, Wyo.   (Tibby McDowell/Riverton Ranger via AP)

The Northern Arapaho Tribe called on federal authorities today to file hate-crime charges against a Wyoming man following the shooting of two tribal members at a detox center. Riverton police say the men were attacked Saturday by city parks worker Roy Clyde, who told investigators he shot the victims as they were lying in bed at the Center of Hope because he was incensed by homeless people drinking and relieving themselves in local parks. One of the men died. The shooting followed an unsolved 2013 attack in which a Northern Arapaho woman was shot and wounded in Riverton.

"The trend of violence against Indian people in and around Riverton is alarming," said Dean Goggles, chairman of the Northern Arapaho Business Council. "It's our responsibility as tribal leaders to do everything we can to try and stop these crimes of hate." Clyde, 32, has been charged with murder and attempted murder. Riverton, a town of about 11,000 people, is surrounded by the Wind River Indian Reservation, home to the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes. John R. Powell, a spokesman for the US attorney's office in Cheyenne, said only that the office "is aware of the shooting incident in Riverton and we remain in contact with local agencies regarding the investigation." (More hate crime stories.)

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