MENOMINEE INDIAN RESERVATION, Wis. (WFRV) – A 29-year-old man has been sentenced for his involvement in the death of a man on the Menominee Indian Reservation back in 2021.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), Duane A. Waupoose, Jr. was sentenced to a total of 14 years in federal prison following his convictions at trial for Voluntary Manslaughter, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and Use of a Firearm.

The 14-year sentence was delivered on June 3 by Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach. Judge Griesbach also set a 60-month term of supervised release that follows Waupoose’s prison term.

Officials say that Waupoose and the victim were enrolled members of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and formerly resided on the reservation.

Evidence at the trial showed that around midnight on January 31, 2021, the defendant and others were approached by a group looking to ‘fight another person.’ A fight eventually broke out in the driveway of a home in the School View area of the Menominee Indian Reservation.

During the fight, Waupoose was shot and received minor injuries. He disarmed the man who shot him and reportedly pursued him down the driveway and into the street, hitting him with a shotgun.

According to officials, after the man fled, Waupoose caught up with him around 40 yards down the road and allegedly repeatedly hit him in the face and head, causing serious injuries which eventually resulted in his death.

“A life was lost, and it was lost without justification. There is no justification for the brutal beating Mr. Waupoose delivered,” Judge Greisbach stated during sentencing. Judge Greisbach also noted that the serious nature of the crime, the lasting impact on the victim’s family, and the need to deter others from engaging in similar conduct warranted a lengthy sentence.  

Waupoose Jr. was found guilty on February 21, 2023.

The Menominee Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

No further details were provided.