Waylon Willie Bearground, a 30-year-old Native American man from Lame Deer, Montana, was driven by his parents to an apartment in Billings in the early hours of November 1, 2020. He was there to drop off clothes for an ex-girlfriend who lived in the 4100 block of King Avenue East. Before getting out of the car, he told his parents to wait, warning them that he might “get into it” with someone.
While they waited, Bearground’s parents overheard an altercation coming from an alley
near the residence, which was followed by the sound of a single gunshot. They rushed to find their son, discovering that he had been shot in the abdomen. They immediately drove him to the St. Vincent Healthcare emergency room. At the hospital, personnel also found that Bearground had sustained cuts and a stab wound to his neck. Despite their efforts, he succumbed to his injuries.
Billings police officers who arrived at the scene of the shooting found a spent .380 casing but discovered the apartment was empty. The investigation quickly pointed to a suspect, 37-year-old Benial Davis of Billings. Detectives learned that around 2 a.m., shortly after the shooting, Davis had borrowed a blue Chevrolet Silverado pickup from an acquaintance, claiming he needed it to visit his sister in Washington. This information launched a multi-state search for the vehicle.
Two days later, on November 3, 2020, an Idaho State Police trooper pulled over the blue pickup for a traffic violation on Interstate 90 near Coeur d'Alene. Davis was in the truck along with his roommate, Bearground’s ex-girlfriend, and another individual. Davis was arrested on a deliberate homicide warrant issued out of Yellowstone County, Montana.
According to court documents, the two women in the truck told detectives they were in the apartment when Bearground arrived. They said they locked themselves in a bathroom while Davis and his roommate went outside to confront him. They stated that Davis returned to the apartment, admitted to the shooting, and said that Bearground had “scared him.” Davis then encouraged everyone to leave with him. After his arrest, Davis reportedly admitted to Idaho detectives that he shot Bearground and had disposed of the gun. Davis was returned to Montana, where he pleaded not guilty in Yellowstone County District Court, claiming the shooting was an act of self-defense. As of November 2020, the case was proceeding through the court system.
