Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Leonard Little Thunder III, also known as Yamni Little Thunder, from Parmelee, South Dakota, has been sentenced for assault with a dangerous weapon. U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte delivered the sentence on May 7, 2025.
Little Thunder, aged 19, received a six-year federal prison term followed by three years of supervised release. He is also required to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The conviction arises from an incident in November 2023 on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On November 29, 2023, Little Thunder fired a short barrel shotgun at an adult male outside his residence near Mission, South Dakota. The victim was injured in the head. After the attack, Little Thunder fled but was apprehended shortly afterward south of Mission. The shotgun used in the crime was confiscated and will be forfeited to the United States.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence by collaborating with law enforcement and communities. The Department of Justice reinforced PSN's strategy on May 26, 2021.
The prosecution was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office under the Major Crimes Act, requiring certain violent crimes in Indian Country to be prosecuted federally rather than at the state level.
The investigation involved Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson led the prosecution.
Following sentencing, Little Thunder was placed into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
