Two citizens of the
Crow Tribe were laid to rest in Montana as federal authorities continue to investigate a triple homicide.
Denise Stewart Nomee, 25, and her husband,
Leslie “Frank” Nomee, Jr., 27, were buried in Lodge Grass, a community on the
Crow Reservation, on Wednesday. They were killed in a shooting on August 4 that tribal leaders say is linked to drug and gang activity.
“If there was ever a time the Crow people needed each other, it’s today,” Donald Spotted Bear III, one of Denise's brothers, said during the ceremony, The Billings Gazette reported. “Don’t let how they died define who they were in life.”
A third citizen,
Nehemiah “Rocko” Broken Rope, 30, also was killed in the shooting. He is being laid to rest on Friday in Crow Agency, another community on the reservation.
The
Federal Bureau of
Investigation and the
Bureau of
Indian Affairs are treating the incident as a homicide. They have released few details, only telling the Montana media that the three victims did not live at the home where the shooting occurred.
The home has since burned to the ground. The Big Horn County Sheriff's Office provided a video to MTN News that was taken by a deputy who arrived at the scene early Tuesday morning.
MTN also previously reported a lookout for Roderick Plentyhawk, 32, and said he was described as a suspect in the shooting. He has since been located and questioned but authorities won't tell the station if he is in custody.
The reservation encompasses about 2.3 million acres in three counties. The BIA only has 9 officers on staff and only 3 are on patrol at any given time, according to the
Crow Legislature.
Read More on the Story:
Community gathers to honor 2 victims in Crow Reservation triple homicide
(The Billings Gazette August 8, 2017)
Video shows fire burning Lodge Grass home where 3 people were murdered
(MTN News August 9, 2017)
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