RAPID CITY, S.D. — At a press conference held at a secured FBI Facility in Rapid City on the morning of Tuesday, June 16th, Federal and tribal law enforcement agencies have announced the launching of a major initiative aimed at solving violent crimes on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation by testing more than 500 firearms currently held in evidence.

The effort, known as Operation Ballistic Backlog, was announced Tuesday in Rapid City by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety.

Officials say approximately 500 serviceable firearms in tribal custody had never been entered into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, a nationwide database that can connect firearms to unsolved shootings and other violent crimes.

The initiative is part of the FBI’s broader Operation Steadfast Promise, a nationwide effort focused on reducing violent crime, gang activity and unresolved cases on tribal lands.

“This initiative came about when we recognized an opportunity to work with our partners from the Oglala Sioux Tribe to improve public safety,” FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dotson said during Tuesday’s announcement.

Firearms are being test-fired at the Oglala Sioux Tribe Criminal Justice Center on Pine Ridge. The resulting shell casings are then analyzed through ATF’s mobile NIBIN laboratory, which is currently operating from the FBI’s Rapid City Resident Agency.

According to ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Spencer Burnett, every firearm leaves microscopic markings on spent cartridge casings that function like a fingerprint. Those markings can be compared against evidence collected from crime scenes across the country.

“When it finds a match, investigators get a lead,” Burnett said. “That lead may connect two shootings in the same neighborhood, or it might connect a gun found on Pine Ridge to a crime somewhere else entirely.”

Federal officials pointed to the 2022 murder of 6-year-old Logan Warrior Goings as an example of the value of ballistic evidence. Logan was killed when multiple rounds were fired into a home near Pine Ridge. Investigators later linked a firearm recovered elsewhere in South Dakota to the shooting through ballistic testing.

Last week, the FBI announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Logan’s death.

Dotson also highlighted a previous Pine Ridge homicide investigation in which NIBIN testing helped identify two Denver gang members who were later convicted in a 2016 murder.

U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons said the operation is intended to address years of accumulated evidence that had not been fully examined because of limited resources and testing capacity.

“For years, a great many firearms and other ballistic evidence potentially tied to serious crimes on the reservation have sat unexamined,” Parsons said. “That ends now.”

Parsons said every firearm entered into the system has the potential to generate investigative leads, identify suspects, corroborate witness statements or help resolve long-unsolved cases.

Officials said approximately 70 FBI personnel from around the country are supporting Operation Steadfast Promise initiatives in tribal communities this year.

The firearms testing effort is expected to continue for several weeks as investigators process evidence and compare results against unsolved gun crimes on Pine Ridge and elsewhere.

Anyone with information about major crimes on tribal lands, including the murder of Logan Warrior Goings, is encouraged to contact the FBI at 800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip through tips.fbi.gov.