Redwood County seeks two men charged in alleged gang shooting

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

REDWOOD FALLS -- Officials in Redwood County believe the shooting death of Frank Irving Parker II on June 9 was a gang-related killing.

Parker, 22, of Minneapolis, was found dead on the lawn of a residence on the Lower Sioux Agency during the early morning hours of June 9, when a Redwood County deputy sheriff responded to a 911 call.

Two rural Morton men -- Christopher Richard "Big Smoke" Sander, 25, and Dennis William "Bundy" Pendleton, 20 -- are being sought on Redwood County warrants in connection with Parker's death.

Witnesses identified both men to investigators in the days since the shooting ocurred. The two were charged Wednesday with two counts of aiding and abetting murder in the second degree each, one of which alleges the shooting was committed for the benefit of a gang.

According to criminal complaints filed in Redwood County District Court, both Sander and Pendleton are members of the Gangster Disciples and allegedly shot Parker over "an ongoing dispute."

Autopsy results said Parker died from loss of blood due to multiple gunshot wounds. The mannr of death, said the report, was determined a homicide.

The complaints said two witnesses told Redwood County Deputy Sheriff Mark Farasyn they saw Sander and Pendleton pull into the driveway in a maroon GMC Yukon Denali, shoot Parker, and drive off.

Sander and Pendleton were said to have been seen driving by the agency's pow-wow grounds in the Denali at 7 a.m. Sunday, reportedly waving to a man who was cleaning up there. The same man allegedly saw them drive away several minutes before police sirens were heard in the distance.

Later that day, Redwood County Deputy Sheriff Jim Meyer and Special Agent Dennis Fier of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension interviewed one of the two witnesses.

They reportedly learned Parker was at a party at a house on the reservation in the hours before he was shot.

One witness, whose identity was witheld in court documents, said Parker was standing on the front lawn of the house with several other people when the Denali reportedly pulled up in the yard.

Sander allegedly drove the SUV. Pendleton was reportedly in the passenger's seat. Upon pulling up outside the house, Sander reportedly said "Let's do this." Witnesses then heard several gunshots and saw Parker fall to the ground. Sander and Pendleton reportedly drove away after that, the complaints said.

Meyer and Fier also interviewed a second witness, whose identity was also witheld in court documents, on the same day. That witness was allegedly also at the party that night and said one of the people at the party was "on the telephone and said Parker was coming to the party and to 'have the boys get the strap"," the complaints said. The phrase "get the strap" was said to mean "get our gun."

Parker allegedly arrived at the party a short time after the phone call was said to take place.

Like the first witness, the second witness heard Sander tell Pendleton "Let's do this."

Redwood County Attorney Michelle Dietrich, who is prosecuting the case, refused to comment on the case, saying it is still an open investigation.

"It's a pending case and so I can't comment on it," Dietrich said in her office Friday afternoon.

Meyer said the Redwood County Sheriff's Department is still processing leads daily, adding later that Sheriff Rick Morris recently authorized extended shifts and overtime pay for the county's deputy sheriffs to move the investigation forward.

He said the primary focus of the investigation is finding and arresting Sander and Pendleton, who are both already wanted in Redwood County on warrants for less serious crimes.

Like Dietrich, Meyer declined to comment further on the investigation, citing the same reason, except to say, "We haven't ruled out anything yet. We're still open to anything. We'll still investigate any information or leads provided to us."