FARGO (KFGO) – A 21-year-old north central North Dakota man has been sentenced to 32 years in federal prison for crimes on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation in 2021 and 2022.
Nathaniel Azure of St. Michael was found guilty in December of three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of discharging a gun in a crime of violence, and one count of brandishing a gun in a crime of violence.
Azure was involved in a non-fatal shooting in Fort Totten in January of 2021. In 2022, he assaulted a second person while having a gun. The next day, Azure was involved in another shooting that wounded a third person.
“This is a firm and fair sentence that will benefit public safety on Spirit Lake,” U.S. Attorney for North Dakota Mac Schneider said. “Defendants who use firearms to commit violence in tribal communities can count on becoming federal defendants in the District of North Dakota. Our office is committed to working with our tribal, federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to prosecute and deter violent crime in Indian country.”
Azure’s brother, Michael Denne, Dantae Whitetail of Minnewaukan, and Skyla Cavanaugh of St. Michael have all been convicted and sentenced for their roles in those crimes.
Comments