2nd Teen Is Linked to School Shooting

Federal investigators have arrested a juvenile they say played a key role in last week’s shooting on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota that left 10 dead, a federal law enforcement official said Monday.

The official, who declined to be identified, said the suspect was a student at Red Lake High School and a relative of a tribal leader.

U.S. Atty. Thomas Heffelfinger in Minneapolis said the juvenile was arrested Sunday, and that the case would proceed in federal court in Minnesota.

Heffelfinger -- who cited federal restrictions for refusing to divulge the suspect’s age or gender -- said an investigation into the shooting was ongoing.

Jeffrey Weise, 16, killed his grandfather and his grandfather’s girlfriend March 21 before heading to Red Lake High School, where he fatally shot five students, a teacher and a security guard before killing himself.

Seven others were wounded.

Funerals for the victims have been held over the last few days. On Monday, there were services for four victims, including Weise and Derrick Brun, 28, a school security guard who was the first person shot on the campus.

Last week, FBI officials said they believed Weise was acting alone in the killings and that his motive was unknown. However, authorities have continued to investigate the case and have remained relatively mum on their findings.

At least 40 agents from more than half a dozen federal and local agencies -- including the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Red Lake Police Department -- are working on the case in the Red Lake area, Heffelfinger said.

“We will use as many resources as needed to continue this investigation,” Heffelfinger said.

At least two other Red Lake High School students have been questioned in connection with the investigation, according to a source familiar with the case.

Chairman Floyd Jourdain Jr. of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa -- whom President Bush called last week to express his condolences and pledge federal aid -- could not be reached for comment Monday.

Jourdain won a tribal election in May and stepped into his role as chairman in August. He lives on the reservation in the Red Lake District with his wife, Alberta Johnson Jourdain, and their three sons.

Before taking on the role of tribal chairman, Jourdain spent 13 years working in counseling and community organizations. He also served as vice chairman of the reservation’s Boys & Girls Club.

In the days after the shooting, Jourdain and other tribal elders said they decided to close ranks and encourage members of the tribe not to discuss the incident with outsiders.

Journalists were cordoned into a parking lot at the reservation jail and told they would be arrested if they left Minnesota 1, the main highway, as they drove to and from the lot.

“This is Indian land. You are our guests,” Jourdain told journalists. “We have our own way of doing things. We are a unique tribe.”

Poverty and unemployment have long gripped the reservation in northern Minnesota, about an hour drive from the Canadian border.

The land is rich in natural bounty, famous for wild rice beds, peat bogs, and walleye and crappie fishing. Yet 39% of the families on the reservation live in poverty. Four in five students at the school are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.

Though the Chippewa tribe runs some small casinos, the reservation is too remote -- about 240 miles from Minneapolis -- to attract many tourists. The school has produced some top basketball teams, but has also long ranked among the state’s worst in standardized test scores.