In the early morning hours of July 20, 2016, in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, 13-year-old Teca Lynn Clifford, an Oglala Lakota girl, was walking down Main Street with a friend. Tragically, her life was cut short by an act of gun violence. Born on June 22, 2003, Teca was a student at Pine Ridge Elementary School where she played basketball.
The incident was one of several fatal shootings that occurred on the Pine Ridge Reservation that summer, creating a climate of fear within the community. In the months following Teca's death, the investigation into the shooting continued.
In November 2016, a suspect was indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with Teca's death. James Robert Dowty, a 27-year-old man from Pine Ridge, was charged with Second Degree Murder and Discharge of a Firearm during the Commission of a Crime of Violence. Dowty was taken into custody and subsequently pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. He was held in Rapid City pending legal proceedings.
