Courtesy Facebook/Mothers Against METH Alliance

Teca Clifford was gunned down in front of three of her friends on the main street of Pine Ridge Village on the Pine Ridge Reservation just after 3 A.M. on Wednesday morning.

Breaking News: 13-year-old Lakota Girl Gunned Down on Pine Ridge

David Rooks

7/22/16

Wednesday morning, just after 3 a.m., 13-year-old Teca Clifford was gunned down in front of three of her friends on the main street of Pine Ridge Village on the Pine Ridge Reservation. She turned 13 four weeks ago, on June 22.

Police radio traffic indicated the girl had been shot through the abdomen at least once on a sidewalk beside Highway 18 near Yellow Bird’s convenience store and across from East Ridge Housing. The call to Pine Ridge Ambulance Service from police dispatchers was received at 4:03 a.m.

Although tribal police took two men into custody later that morning, no further reports on their identities or whether or not the men were placed under arrest have been issued. Oglala Sioux Tribal Police Chief Eugenio White Hawk has been unavailable for comment.

Bob Perry, at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Rapid City Office confirmed that the FBI is leading the investigation, but declined further comment.

Julie Richards, founder of the Pine Ridge Reservation based group Mothers Against METH Alliance (MAMA), wrote on on Wednesday, “One of my girls was shot this morning and killed by a grown man, our household will never be the same.”

Richards says her group is repurposing and dedicating a previously planned march against meth on Saturday in Pine Ridge Village to honor the slain youth. The rally is scheduled for 10 a.m.