Special Agent Jack R. Coler

Jack R. Coler

Special Agent Jack Coler and Special Agent Ronald Williams were shot and killed at the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

The agents were attempting to serve a warrant for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. When they stopped a vehicle at 11:50 a.m., they requested backup once the men in the vehicle started firing at them. When responding agents arrived on the scene, they were also fired upon. They were unable to reach Agent Williams and Agent Coler until 4:25 p.m. Once discovered, the agents' vehicles had 125 bullet holes. Agent Williams had been shot in the left arm, left side, right hand, and head. Agent Coler had multiple wounds to the arm and head. Both agents had been killed at close range.

Only one of the four suspects was charged with their murders and was captured in Vancouver, Canada, on February 6, 1976. The 31-year-old suspect, unbeknownst to Agent Williams and Agent Coler, had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for the attempted murder of a police officer in Wisconsin. He was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to life. In 1979, he and other inmates fired at prison guards when they escaped from prison. He was denied clemency in 2017. He can't be released until 2035. As of January 7, 2022, several lawmakers on Capital Hill are pushing the Biden Administration for his release.

Special Agent Coler had served with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for four years and previously served with the Los Angeles Police Department for three years. He was survived by his wife, two sons, parents, brother, and two sisters.