(Fremont County, WY) – According to an affidavit filed on May 26th by a Bureau of Indian Affairs special agent, Ronald Blaise Jenkins, 26, faces charges for two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm.
On January 5th, 2021 at 4:33 AM, Fremont County emergency dispatch called the Wind River Police Department stating they received a 911 call that a man had been shot in the stomach and was being driven to the Riverton Hospital emergency room.
After making contact with witnesses at the hospital who saw the victim dropped off, a Wind River Police Officer was able to positively identify the vehicle that dropped the victim off.
A few hours later, the girlfriend of the victim was brought into the Riverton Police Department, where she informed officers that the victim had been out drinking with Jenkins and two friends.
Contact was then made with one of the other friends, who reportedly stated that the group had been out driving, when they decided to park at a vehicle pullout on Rendezvous Road known locally as “Checkpoint Charlie,” located on the Wind River Reservation.
At this point, Jenkins and the victim allegedly began arguing about a song playing on the radio, when the victim attempted to physically fight Jenkins. After being punched, Jenkins then drew a pistol and shot the victim in the stomach.
Officers then made contact with Jenkins, who corroborated the reported statements, but added that he allegedly had “broken his neck several years ago, was very afraid of getting hurt, and feared for his life.”
According to Jenkins, during the assault he found a pistol on the floor, pleaded with the victim to stop, and when he pointed the gun at him , “it just went off.”
The officer then noted in the report that he “did not observe an injury to Jenkin’s face, and noticed Jenkin’s glasses were not damaged in any way.” The officer also noted that the gun used was single action, meaning “the operator would have to manually pull the hammer back before pulling the trigger for the pistol to fire.”
Contact was then made with the victim himself, who had to be transported to Billings, Montana hospital to receive advanced care for his sustained wounds. The victim confirmed the events of the evening, and at this time the officer noted that Jenkins was significantly larger than the victim.
As of this writing, Jenkins has not had an opportunity to enter pleas to the charges.
County 10 will provide more information on this story as it progresses.