Beau Harlan Beaumont, a 21-year-old Native American man, was killed in Billings, Montana, during the early morning hours of February 12, 2023. The events began inside America's Wild West, a local nightclub, where an altercation broke out between Beaumont and another patron, 18-year-old Xavier Buffalo. Bouncers separated the two and removed Buffalo from the club but did not escort him from the property.
A short time later, when Beaumont and his friends left the bar for the parking lot, the conflict reignited. Buffalo was reportedly waiting outside and jumped Beaumont. During the fight that followed, a gun was produced, and Beaumont was shot. Police received a call at approximately 1:40 a.m. and arrived to find Beaumont on the ground. He was rushed to St. Vincent Healthcare, where he died from his injuries about thirty minutes later.
In the days following the shooting, Beaumont's devastated friends and family organized "Justice for Beau" protests, demanding accountability from the nightclub. His family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners of America's Wild West. The lawsuit accused the club of negligence, alleging it had served alcohol to the underage Buffalo and failed to provide adequate security despite a known history of violence. The complaint noted that police had responded to hundreds of incidents at the location in the preceding year, including another homicide, multiple assaults, and numerous weapons complaints.
The police investigation into the shooting quickly identified a suspect. Xavier Buffalo was arrested a short time later and charged with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence. He was subsequently jailed at the Yellowstone County Detention Center with bond set at $250,000.
During his trial, Buffalo’s defense attorneys argued that he had acted in self-defense, claiming that Beaumont had pinned him by the neck, causing him to fear for his life. The prosecution countered that Buffalo was the aggressor who had initiated the fight and therefore could not claim self-defense. Prosecutors also told the jury that Buffalo had never mentioned being choked or strangled to law enforcement following his arrest.
In March 2025, after several hours of deliberation, a Yellowstone County jury found Xavier Buffalo guilty of deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence. As of that month, he was awaiting sentencing.
