On the evening of September 2, 2024, in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, 17-year-old Gary Bear Runner was killed by a single gunshot at an abandoned trailer. He had been at the trailer with three friends, including 19-year-old Daeshawn Poor Bear, while the group consumed alcohol and THC. Bear Runner was pronounced dead at the scene and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety investigated.

After the shooting Poor Bear ran to his mother’s nearby home and admitted what happened; during the 911 call he expressed fear that he would go to jail for life. Bear Runner is remembered by loved ones as sharing, caring, outgoing, creative, athletic and comical.

Did anyone who knew Gary or was at the Pine Ridge area that night see or hear anything that could shed more light on what happened?