Two Winner Men Sentenced to Federal Prison, One for 10 Years and Another for Five Years, for Their Roles in a Drive By Shooting
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced two Winner, South Dakota, men convicted of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencings took place on November 5, 2024.
Arthur Black Bull, age 19, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Therryn Black Horse, age 22, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Black Bull and Black Horse were indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2024. Black Bull pleaded guilty on August 5, 2024. Black Horse pleaded guilty on August 7, 2024.
The convictions stem from an incident that occurred in April of 2023 in Winner Tribal Housing, which is in Tripp County, South Dakota, and which is part of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. In the early morning hours of April 13, 2023, Black Bull and Black Horse drove by the victim’s residence in Winner Tribal Housing. Black Horse had a previous disagreement with the victim and wanted to scare him. As they passed the residence in their vehicle, Black Bull fired multiple rounds at the residence with a 9mm pistol, striking the outside of the residence. The victim and his family were in the residence at the time of the shooting, but no one was injured. Shell casings collected from the scene were later matched to a pistol that was seized by law enforcement in a traffic stop in May of 2023. The pistol was subsequently traced to Black Bull. He and Black Horse will forfeit ownership of the pistol to the United States.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the FBI. Senior Litigation Counsel Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Black Bull and Black Horse were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.