TWIN BUTTES, N.D. — A Twin Buttes man faces a charge of second-degree murder after a shooting last week on the Fort Berthold Reservation in western North Dakota.
Christopher Lewis Gillette, a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, appeared Thursday, Aug. 20, for a hearing in Bismarck’s federal courthouse. He could be sentenced to a maximum of life in prison if convicted.
Gillette, 34, is accused of killing James Mossett Friday morning, Aug. 14, at Gillette’s home. Wayne Moran also was shot but was taken to a hospital for treatment, prosecutors said. Moran's condition was not known Thursday.
According to court documents:
Law enforcement responded to a shooting at 690 Highway 8 N. Gillette, 34, told officers he accidentally discharged a 9mm handgun.
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Mossett, who's also a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, told Moran and a female witness that they could stay at Gillette’s home, the witness told investigators. After arriving at the home around 6 a.m. Friday, Gillette confronted Mossett about bringing people to his house.
Gillette went to his room, retrieved a handgun and fired the gun three times. He hit Mossett and Moran each with one shot, court documents alleged.
Gillette later acknowledged smoking meth with Moran, Mossett and the witness, according to court documents. He initially said it was OK for the three to come into the house, but he became angry with them being in the house and asked them to leave, court documents said.
