Browning man admits assaulting neighbor with crossbow on Blackfeet Indian Reservation

GREAT FALLS — A Browning man accused of shooting and wounding his neighbor with a crossbow on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation admitted to an assault charge today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Alonzo Gene Skunkcap, 22, pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon. Skunkcap faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The court set sentencing for May 15. Skunkcap was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on Oct. 1, 2023, Skunkcap was outside of his residence and a neighbor, John Doe, was in his driveway working on a vehicle. Skunkcap made a comment in which he threatened to shoot Doe’s dog. Doe responded that if Skunkcap shot his dog, he would shoot Skunkcap. Skunkcap then retrieved a crossbow from his residence and, without saying anything further, fired the crossbow at Doe, who was standing by a fence. The bolt pierced the side of Doe’s neck. After the assault, Skunkcap went back into his house and waited for law enforcement. Skunkcap told officers he shot Doe because he didn’t know how to deal with threats, was scared and that it was just his “instinct.” Doe removed the bolt himself, suffered two puncture wounds and sought medical attention. Because of the location of the wounds, Doe did not suffer serious injury or life-threatening injury.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah A. Paisley is prosecuting the case. The Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and FBI conducted the investigation.

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