Joseph James Peterson Jr., 16, known as Migizi and a member of the Bear Clan (Makwan Odoodeman), was fatally shot on December 28, 2020 while outside a residence on Giiniw Road on the Fond du Lac Reservation. He had been at a gathering where people were drinking; witnesses say 18-year-old Joseph James Fohrenkam began waving a 9mm handgun and that the gun discharged, fatally wounding Peterson. Other witnesses who left the immediate scene reported hearing several more shots and said Fohrenkam was either shooting at a bottle or at the truck they had been in.

After the shooting, Fohrenkam, his 38-year-old mother, and a 25-year-old man fled before police arrived. The 25-year-old later cooperated with authorities. A warrant for Fohrenkam’s arrest on second-degree manslaughter was issued the day after the shooting. On January 5, 2021, Fohrenkam was found with his mother at an apartment complex on the White Earth Reservation in Mahnomen and taken into custody; his mother was later questioned and faced a charge of aiding an offender.

Joseph Peterson Jr. was a beloved son, twin brother, and friend whose life ended in senseless gun violence. If anyone at the gathering or anyone who knew what happened that night has information, please come forward.