Son of Chippewa Leader Is Charged in Shootings

CHICAGO —  Louis Jourdain, the 16-year-old son of tribal leader Floyd Jourdain Jr., has been charged in connection with last week’s shootings on the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota that left 10 people dead.

The teenager -- who family members say was on the middle-school chess team and was friends with gunman Jeffrey Weise -- appeared in a closed federal court hearing Tuesday in Duluth, Minn.

Jourdain was arrested Sunday afternoon on the Red Lake Reservation, about 240 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

Authorities declined to say what role Jourdain may have played in the attack. But sources familiar with the investigation and speaking on condition of anonymity said authorities had been considering whether to charge the teen with conspiracy to commit murder.

Investigators arrested Jourdain after questioning several students. The sources said investigators uncovered e-mails and electronic documents that, among other things, showed Weise had discussed school shootings and armed attacks on the high school with others.

On a personal website, Floyd Jourdain described his son as “my pride and joy” who “always shares his school achievements with me.”

In a statement issued Tuesday, the leader of the Red Lake Band of the Chippewa insisted that his son was innocent, calling him “a good boy with a good heart who never harmed anyone in his entire life.”

“I know my son and he is incapable of committing such an act,” wrote Floyd Jourdain, 40. “As events unfold, it will be proven that the individual who committed this horrible crime did so of his own choice and that he acted alone. I strongly believe that my son will be cleared of these charges.”

Weise, 16, killed his grandfather -- a veteran tribal police officer -- and his grandfather’s girlfriend March 21 before heading to Red Lake High School. There, he fatally shot five students, a teacher and a security guard before killing himself.

Seven others were wounded by Weise, who had a history of depression and was believed to have espoused Nazi philosophy in Internet postings. During the shooting, friends say, Jourdain was at the school, studying in the library.

On Tuesday, clad in baggy jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt, Jourdain was handcuffed and escorted by U.S. marshals into the federal courthouse. His father, who declined to discuss the matter outside of his statement, entered soon after.

Three hours later, the teen was led away from the courthouse. The hearing was closed.

U.S. Atty. Thomas Heffelfinger in Minneapolis, citing federal restrictions regarding cases that involve minors, declined to talk about the case. Jourdain’s attorney, Jon Hopeman, declined to comment on the matter.

In the last week, as many Chippewa retreated into silence amid the horror of the events, Floyd Jourdain emerged as a voice for the Red Lake Nation. At a news conference last week, Jourdain said the shootings were a grim reminder that the community -- as well as parents nationwide -- needed to pay more heed to the actions of its youth.

“We need to pay attention to what they’re saying and what they’re doing,” he said.

The arrest of the younger Jourdain came as both a surprise and an enormous blow to the tribe, as the family has long been a political powerhouse in the region.

Another relative, Roger Jourdain, was the “Richard Daley of tribal councils,” said Gerald Vizenor, a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and former director of American Indian studies at Bemidji State University. “He was one of the most powerful politicians in the country.” He was on a first-name basis “with presidents and senators.”

Though criticized by some for his gruff demeanor, Roger Jourdain was a leading voice on Indian matters in Washington until he stepped down in 1990. Floyd Jourdain, who is the tribe’s youngest elected chairman, stepped into the role last August after the death of former leader Butch Brun. The connections, both political and familial, run deep here: Derrick Brun, the school security guard whom Weise killed, was a cousin of Butch Brun’s.

Floyd Jourdain has three sons: Louis; Phillip, 19; and Andrew, 4. Phillip has volunteered at community meetings organized by the Center for Reducing Rural Violence in the nearby town of Bemidji and has spoken out against the drug and alcohol abuse that is pervasive on the reservation.

“I’m shocked. Everyone is,” said Red Lake High Principal Chris Dunshee, who said Louis had no history of disciplinary problems. “His father is a good man. Louis is a good young man.” News of the arrest sparked some retaliatory shootings this week on the reservation, said Bill Lawrence, owner and editor of the Native American Press in Bemidji and a godson of Roger Jourdain’s.

The sites include Preston Tool & Tackle in Redby, where family members and friends of shooting victims say they have met with members of the media to speak about the tragedy and Louis Jourdain’s arrest.

FBI officials declined to comment on the shootings late Tuesday.