Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Okreek Man Indicted for Second Degree Murder and Using a Firearm During Crime of Violence
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that an Okreek, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Second Degree Murder and Using and Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.
Leon Good Buffalo, age 23, was indicted on November 9, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on November 15, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on October 28, 2021, in Todd County, South Dakota, Good Buffalo killed a man by shooting him with a shotgun.
The charges are merely accusations and Good Buffalo is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case. Good Buffalo was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.