LAME DEER— A family marched for justice Thursday morning for an 8-year-old boy who was shot and killed in Lame Deer, a community on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, last year.
Marquez Amias Dion Deputee Ontiveros was shot exactly a year ago, on Oct. 23. He was declared dead 34 hours later, on Oct. 25.
Watch to see why this family is marching:
Related: Homicide investigation underway after boy shot and killed in Lame Deer
More than 50 friends and family members of Marquez walked from one end of Lame Deer to the other, starting at the Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Cheyenne Nation Playground, and ending at Lame Deer Mennonite Church.
“He was going to do big things, and that was stolen,” said the boy’s maternal grandmother Michelle Shot-Gunn.
Northern Cheyenne Tribal Court sentenced the shooter, a male, to the longest penalty they can enforce, a jail sentence of four years and nine months, and fined him $23,000. The shooter has not been identified.
Related: Suspect arrested in connection with shooting death of Lame Deer boy
Related: Northern Cheyenne members march for justice after homicide of 8-year-old boy
“That is not justice for him. You know, I don't know what that looks like, but four and a half years is not it,” said Shot-Gunn.
Marquez’s family is hoping advocacy, such as the walk, will gain attention from the FBI. The shooter has not been charged in federal court, where he could get a longer sentence.
“I feel abandoned by the federal government, because they were there a lot for us in the beginning. From the very moment, they were there. And then, we haven't heard from them,” said Shot-Gunn.
