Fort Thompson Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Firing a Gun at Other Persons

PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Fort Thompson man convicted of Using and Carrying a Firearm During and Relation to a Crime of Violence. The sentencing took place on July 20, 2026. Tigh Bagola, age 42, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Bagola was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 20, 2026. The conviction stems from an incident that occurred in July 2023 in the Crow Creek Sioux Indian Reservation. On the afternoon of July 5, 2023, Bagola was walking in Ft. Thompson, South Dakota, when he encountered the victims. Bagola argued with the victims and then brandished a handgun at them. Bagola fired the gun in the victims’ direction, and then fled the scene.