Autospy Reveals Cheyenne-Arapaho Teen was Shot 7 Times by Deputies by
Levi Rickert /
Currents / 22 Mar 2014
Family & friends seek Justice for Mah-hi-vist, who was shot to death by law enforcement officers.
CLINTON, OKLAHOMA — Now that the autopsy was released Friday, March 21, 2014, Wilbur and Melissa Goodblanket await news on whether or not there will be any charges brought against two Custer County sheriff deputies who shot and killed their 18-year-old teenager son, Mah-hi-vist “Red Bird” Goodblanket, on December 21, 2013.
The long-awaited autopsy was released on Friday, March 21, 2014, and forwarded to Custer County District Attorney Dennis Smith, who will decide if there will be any charges filed against the shooting deputies.
The Goodblankets called 911 when Mah-hi-vist, who was diagnosed with Oppostional Defiant Disorder four years ago, was experiencing an episode associated with his medical condition.
Mah-hi-vist “Red Bird” Goodblanket shot seven times by sheriff deputies.
The police were called so that the teen would not harm himself.
Two Custer County sheriff deputies, Avery Chance and and Dillon Mach, initially responded and entered the Goodblanket home in Clinton, Oklahoma with two Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers. Within moments of entering the home, the teen was shot to death by law enforcement officers.
The county sheriff department claims the teen threatened officers with a knife. The family disputes this account and maintains the youth was unarmed.
The case was investigated by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations, which completed its report on February 10, 2014 and forwarded to the Custer County district attorney’s office. The report has not been released to the media.
The autopsy report findings indicate the teen was shot seven times with wounds to his head, torso, and right upper arm. Goodblanket was also shot two times by a taser gun.The manner of death is listed as a homicide in the autopsy report. Goodblanket had a blood alcohol level of .10 and no drugs were detected in his system.
The two officers were placed in leave after the fatal shooting. They have since returned to active duty.
Goodblanket was a tribal citizen of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, mixed with Cherokee.
Mah-hi-vist Goodblanket, at the age of 14, was chosen as a youth ambassador and traveled to Europe in England and France. Due to scholastic achievements, he graduated one year early from high school. After high school, he attended Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas and was planning to attend the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribal College in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
As the family awaits word on whether or not the deputies will be charged, friends and family of the Goodblankets have been holding peaceful rallies in front of the Custer County courthouse in Arapaho, Oklahoma to bring justice for Mah-hi-vist Goodblanket. One rally is already being planned for April 16, 2014 at the North Plaza of the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
After Mah-hi-vist’s death, the family opened a Facebook page to keep interested parties updated: https://www.facebook.com/TouchingCloudGoodblanket
To support the family’s legal fund, visit:
https://www.booster.com/justiceformahhivist for t-shirt purchase or to donate:
www.gofundme.com/65cae4http://nativenewsonline.net/currents/autospy-reveals-cheyenne-arapaho-teen-shot-7-times-deputies/