Garrett James Hawk, 34, a Native American man, was shot and killed in Fort Thompson, South Dakota, on July 1, 2023, after days of escalating threats and intimidation directed at his family. Relatives described smashed car windows, menacing messages, and threatening phone calls that left the household on edge; family members say they reached out for help but none arrived. Hawk reportedly stayed awake that night to keep watch for whoever had been harassing them.

Earlier that evening the Bureau of Indian Affairs division on Crow Creek received a report that a group of young men had been firing weapons in the street; that group was contacted and warned because discharging firearms inside city limits is prohibited on the reservation. Less than two hours after that warning, Hawk was shot as he was leaving his home. The killing prompted tribal leadership to issue an emergency declaration addressing violence on the reservation and steps to coordinate jail space, reopen justice facilities, and form a security task force.

Reporting since the killing describes Hawk’s family living with the ache of an unsolved murder; there have been no publicly reported arrests, named suspects, or charges announced in connection with his death. If anyone knew Garrett, the threats the family described, or saw activity near Fort Thompson on July 1, 2023, please share what was seen.