Tiana Sharel Walking Eagle, a 31-year-old Native American woman, died on March 4, 2025, in a tragic incident at her home on the Spirit Lake Reservation near Tokio, North Dakota. She was not the only victim of the violence that unfolded that day; her 3-year-old daughter, Lokia Jay Lee Walking Eagle, was also killed. Tiana's mother was critically injured in the same event but survived the initial attack.
The alleged perpetrator was Tiana's own brother, 27-year-old Johnnie Jay Gaking.
In the time leading up to the fatal encounter, Gaking had reportedly been acting erratically, claiming that men in ski masks were chasing him. His family's disbelief in these claims appears to have preceded the deadly violence. An uncle who witnessed the event told authorities that Gaking had not been sleeping and was "tripping."
According to court documents, Gaking shot his sister, niece, and mother in the head. After the shooting, he fled to another nearby home, where residents described him as having "crazy eyes." He reportedly told them, "They're dead. They're all dead. I didn't do it." Gaking, who had sustained self-inflicted stab wounds, then left in a vehicle and crashed into a ditch, leading to his apprehension.
While being transported in an ambulance, Gaking initially blamed the killings on the "men in ski masks," who he claimed had stalked him and forced him to kill his family. He later admitted to shooting them and also confessed that his stab wounds were a suicide attempt. Johnnie Jay Gaking has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Tiana was remembered as a woman who loved listening to music and spending time with her family and friends. She had spent most of her life on the Spirit Lake Nation and was an employee at the local Walmart.
