Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Parmelee, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencing took place on May 7, 2025.
Leonard Little Thunder III, a/k/a Yamni Little Thunder, age 19, was sentenced to six 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.
Little Thunder was indicted by a grand jury in February 2024. He pleaded guilty on February 5, 2025.
The conviction stems from an incident that occurred in November 2023 within the boundaries of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On November 29, 2023, the victim, an adult male, was outside his residence near Mission, South Dakota, with multiple family members. Little Thunder drove past the residence multiple times before stopping and producing a short barrel shotgun. Little Thunder fired at the victim, causing a wound to the victim’s head. Little Thunder then fled the scene, but he was arrested a short time later at a residence south of Mission. The shotgun was seized as evidence, and Little Thunder will forfeit ownership of the shotgun to the United States.
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, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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 was investigated by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Little Thunder was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.