A St. Stephens, Wyoming, man accused of attacking his brother with an axe at Riverton City Park was allegedly caught on video swinging at his brother and hitting him in the head.
Lincey Shongutsie Jr., 25, is charged under two theories of aggravated assault, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
He’s scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday.
The investigation started June 20 at about 3:51 p.m. when dispatch sent Riverton Police Department Officer Christian Amos to Riverton City Park to answer a call about a man who’d been struck on the head with an axe.
Amos arrived to find “several females” surrounding the alleged victim, with two holding a shirt to his head and three more on scene, says an evidentiary affidavit filed in the case.
One of the women identified Shongutsie was the attacker. He’d parked a maroon-colored Chevy SUV at the park and joined the woman in drinking alcohol at the park that day, she said.
Shongutsie’s father had died that morning, and he’d painted his face and arms black, multiple witnesses told Amos.
Shongutsie was quarrelling with the victim, whom witnesses said was his brother.
“You’re going to be taken to the dark side today,” Shongutsie reportedly called out to the man.
‘Bleeding Profusely’
The affidavit says the man responded by calling Shongutsie a foul name, and Shongutsie “became enraged” and swung an axe down on the man’s head.
“I was unable to determine how long or how deep the cut was as (the victim) was bleeding profusely,” wrote Amos.
He asked the woman to keep a tight pressure hold on top of the man’s head until emergency medical personnel arrived.
The woman said Shongutsie had driven away in the SUV before Amos arrived, headed for the south end of town.
Shongutsie took the axe with him, the woman added.
Emergency medical personnel arrived and wrapped the man’s head then helped him onto a stretcher, the affidavit says.
Amos went to the emergency room at Riverton’s SageWest Health Care, where the victim reportedly described the incident to him.
The man said Shongutsie hit him in the head with an axe that afternoon and also identified Shongutsie as his brother.
Amos asked why Shongutsie’s face and arms were painted black.
Shongutsie said it was to mourn his late father.
The axe had a dual-edged blade with a 2.5-foot-long wooden handle, the man continued. It was dark in color, old and used.
They were both drinking alcohol before the incident, the affidavit relates.
On Video
Amos learned that the Riverton Dispatch Center had recorded the incident on cameras at Riverton’s City Park.
“It does appear an argument ensued as one can see Lincey standing and moving around in an aggressive manner,” the document says.
The camera footage reportedly depicts Shongutsie walking to the Chevy Tahoe, retrieving what appears to be an axe from the back, and walking to the victim.
A woman tried to get between the pair, but Shongutsie walked around her and struck the man while the man remained seated on the picnic table bench, the affidavit says.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
