Warm Springs man charged in fatal shooting on reservation
(Update: adding video)
PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Warm Springs man made his first appearance in federal court Wednesday after being charged in connection with a fatal shooting on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.
Carlos Ralph Miller-Smith, 31, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault resulting in serious bodily injury, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
Court documents say that on Oct. 25, Warm Springs police were dispatched to a report of a shooting at a residence within the reservation boundaries. Officers found a victim who had suffered a gunshot wound to the temple.
A witness identified Miller-Smith as the shooter, authorities said. He was detained at the scene and placed in a patrol vehicle. The victim died the following morning from their injuries.
Miller-Smith appeared in federal court Wednesday before a U.S. magistrate judge and was ordered held in custody pending further proceedings.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Warm Springs Police Department are investigating. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Pamela Paaso and Kate Rochat are prosecuting the case.
Officials noted that a criminal complaint is only an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal program that partners with local law enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence.
