Elmer's Tribal War

Two shots split the darkness. A firefight turns deadly.

After retirement as a psychology professor in 2002, Richard Alumbaugh came upon a file box left over from a murder case heard in court by his deceased wife. This discovery sparked years of investigating the background of the accused and the state's evidence.

Tensions between tribal police and Elmer McGinnis escalated to a point that a beam of light appeared to trigger a tragic firefight. Elmer's Tribal War is a factual account of events that took place in the early morning hours of August 27, 1986. Questions remain as to who was responsible for the death of a tribal officer and the wounding of his partner.