Christopher Janis, 42, a Native American man, was killed on May 27, 2017 on the Pine Ridge Reservation near Sharps Corner, South Dakota, after what federal prosecutors described as a drug-related encounter arranged that afternoon. Court records say Scott Benson drove with Jamie Shoulders and Clarence Yellow Hawk to a driveway about two miles north of Sharps Corner where Janis was sitting in a minivan with another person. Benson got into the back seat to negotiate a purchase of prescription pills when Shoulders approached the driver-side window with a handgun, fired through the glass and shot Janis.

As people fled the vehicle, Yellow Hawk allegedly picked up the gun and fired additional rounds; Janis died of multiple gunshot wounds and investigators say at least seven shots were fired in total. Prosecutors say the three men then fled together and Benson drove away without calling for help; the gun was reportedly discarded from the vehicle and later recovered. The case drew a federal response because it occurred in Indian Country and produced multiple prosecutions with different outcomes for the three men involved.

Does anyone have information about Janis, the events that day, or witnesses who were in the area?