Lawmakers are calling for a law to prevent the horrendous crime spree that occured when James "Sonny" Goggles, 50, and Stallone Trosper, 29, members of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, were shot in the head on July 18. Trosper, pictured here as a young boy, was killed while Goggles was critically injured and may never walk again.
RIVERTON, WY-James "Sonny" Goggles, a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, remains in serious condition after being shot in the head in Riverton, Wyoming, on July 18, 2015. His family is raising funds to aid his recovery.
Wyoming Democrats are pushing for hate crimes legislation in the wake of an attack that left one member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe dead and another with serious injuries.
Stallone Trosper, 29, was killed after being shot in the head while he slept on July 18. James "Sonny" Goggles, Jr., 50, remains hospitalized and may never be able to walk again after also being shot in the head.
A non-Indian man has been charged in connection with the brutal shooting. Although he reportedly admitted that he intentionally targeted people whom he believed to be homeless, he is not facing hate crimes charges under state law.
"Wyoming is one of only five states in the nation that does not have statutes criminalizing violence based on bias and it is well past time that we did. There are numerous examples of crimes being perpetrated against Wyoming citizens simply because of whom they are," Ron Howard, the chairman of the Fremont County Democratic Party said in a press release.
"Whether it is Matthew Shepard being beaten and left to die or Stallone being shot in the head at close range, these are young lives taken by individuals whose sole purpose was to terrorize the person and the community," Howard added, referring to Matthew Shepard, whose death in 1998 led to the enactment of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a federal hate crimes statute.
