The Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council is asking the state of Montana to investigate the death of A.J. Long Soldier in the Hill County jail.

Long Soldier, 18, died last November after complaining of feeling sick. According to a coroner who testified, the star athlete was suffering from severe effects of alcohol withdrawal.

A jury cleared detention officers of wrongdoing. But tribal leaders want to know whether race was a factor in Long Soldier's treatment.

Long Soldier was a standout basketball player who led his team on the Fort Belknap Reservation to a state championship. He had enrolled at Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas last fall.

Long Soldier's mother, Dayna Bear, is a community health representative for the Fort Belknap Tribe. His father, Allen Long Soldier Sr., is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.

Get the Story:
Tribes seek state investigation into inmate death (AP 5/19)

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