In late summer 2024, 13-year-old Xavier Jayceon White Whirlwind of the Oglala Lakota Nation was shot at a residence on East Fairlane Drive in Rapid City, South Dakota. Emergency responders took him to Monument Health Hospital, where he died of his injuries on September 4, 2024. His family and community remember him for a vibrant spirit and a bright smile whose promise was never fulfilled.

Rapid City Police opened an investigation and, in the days after Xavier’s death, publicly named two people they wanted to question as persons of interest: 16-year-old Tyrell James Yellow Thunder and 20-year-old Loretta Bettelyoun. As of the latest public update, no arrests have been announced and there has been no public notice about whether those individuals have been located or interviewed.

What details about that evening might someone in Rapid City or the Oglala Lakota Nation be able to share to help investigators piece together what happened?