Wesley Bad Heart Bull
| Wesley Bad Heart Bull | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Wesley Charles Bad Heart Bull June 10, 1952 Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota |
| Died | January 27, 1973 (aged 20) Buffalo Gap, South Dakota |
| Nationality | American Indian |
| Known for | catalyst for the occupation of Wounded Knee |
| Parent(s) | Sarah Jennie Bad Heart Bull (mother) Vincent Bad Heart Bull, Sr. (father) |
| Relatives |
Amos Bad Heart Bull Arlette Loud Hawk |
Wesley Bad Heart Bull was the name of a Native American man. He was the victim of a murder in which a White Air Force veteran by the name Darld Schmitz stabbed Bad Heart Bull to death. The murder and subsequent handling of his murder is cited as the catalyst for leading to the events later known as the Wounded Knee incident.
Wesley Charles Bad Heart Bull was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota on 10 June 1952. He was the middle brother of Verlyn Dale 'Butch' Bad Heart Bull (b. 14 July 1949) and Vincent Eli Bad Heart Bull, Jr. (b. 9 March 1955), and older brother to Trina Lynn Bad Heart Bull (b. 5 January 1959), Henry Gerald Bad Heart Bull (b. 18 May 1957), Imogene "April" Bad Heart Bull (b. 7 April 1961), Julie Ann Bad Heart Bull (b. 24 May 1964) as well as older half-brother and first cousin to Jamie Merle Bad Heart Bull (b. 30 September 1966). This was owed to the fact that after Sarah and Vincent Sr. had divorced, Sarah married her brother-in-law, Matthew "Kayo" Bad Heart Bull.
According to Fall River County, South Dakota, sheriff Jack Manke, Bad Heart Bull had a record consisting of 19 arrests, including assault on a police officer, in the past two years and had been jailed in Custer, Hot Springs, South Dakota, and Hill City on assault, disturbing the peace and public intoxication charges.
On 27 January 1973, John Wesley Bad Heart Bull was stabbed in Buffalo Gap, South Dakota after going to Bill's Bar in Custer, South Dakota. There are conflicting accounts of what events led up to the stabbing.
According to Custer County authorities, some witnesses claimed that Schmitz was acting in self-defense, as Bad Heart Bull had been harassing patrons at Bill's Bar. Witnesses also stated that Bad Heart Bull used his 18-inch logchain to beat a James "Mad Dog" Geary, before Schmitz intervened and inadvertently stabbed him with a knife while trying to push Bad Heart Bull back with his hand. However, a friend of Bad Heart Bull claimed to have heard Schmitz state that "he was going to kill him an Indian." Robert High Eagle, an individual from Hot Springs, who witnessed the murder, stated the stabbing was deliberate and unprovoked. Five minutes later after the alleged statement, and in front of six witnesses (four White and two Indian), Schmitz stabbed Bad Heart Bull. Around 2:00 A.M., Bad Heart Bull lay in the street, bleeding from the wound made by a knife that was still buried in his chest. Bad Heart Bull died from blood loss, while en route to a Hot Springs hospital.
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Wikipedia