Danny Wolfe

Early Life and Formative Trauma

Daniel Richard Wolfe was born three months premature at the General Hospital in Regina, Saskatchewan to Richard Wolfe Senior and Susan Creely, both of whom were Cree. His Cree name was Come Up Shouting At The Earth. In 1979, the family moved to Winnipeg's North End, an area characterized by poverty and social disorder where Wolfe and his brother Richard Jr. were largely left to raise themselves. Both parents struggled with alcoholism, and Susan Creely's drinking during her pregnancy caused Danny to suffer from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. His mother's own trauma was deep, having attended a residential school from age six where she was raped by a teacher, leading to heavy drinking from age twelve onward. She later described her parenting as neglectful, stating she lacked love and skills lost in the residential schools. The Wolfe brothers grew up amid what was described as the howling chaos of the North End, where street-level crime and substance abuse were normalized. They attended Pinkham School, where principal Carolyn Loeppky recalled them as quiet, enigmatic, and suspicious boys who were hard to reach. Danny, small and undernourished, often accused teachers of racism, and he and other First Nations children were excluded from school fundraisers over theft concerns, leading to retaliatory vandalism. To survive, the brothers scavenged for food in garbage bins and stole from gardens, quickly graduating to car theft and break-ins. By age ten, Danny was an accomplished shoplifter and car thief, and by twelve, he and his brother had driven a stolen van to Regina. A significant moment came in the spring of 1988 when Danny, having not seen his father for years, encountered him as a homeless man on Winnipeg's streets who acknowledged him only briefly before walking away.

Founding and Rise of the Indian Posse

In the summer of 1988, Danny and Richard Wolfe founded the Indian Posse in the basement of their mother's rented house on Beverley Street in Winnipeg. Initially part of a theft group called Scammers Inc, they resented older members taking most profits and formed their own gang in August. Inspired by gangsta rap, they adopted the name Indian Posse in an attempt to reclaim a derogatory term. The gang's symbolism and rules, including the use of red bandannas, were largely designed by Danny's friend Lynn. Its structure mimicked outlaw biker gangs with three tiers of membership: hang-arounds, strikers, and full members, identified by tattoos. Crucially, membership was restricted to Indigenous and Métis people, governed by a council or circle that made decisions by consensus. The brothers quickly escalated from property crime to home invasions, drug dealing, and prostitution. Danny's first conviction was for break and enter at age twelve on January 18, 1989, resulting in a year in open custody. By 1990, they were forcing teenage classmates, and later girls as young as ten and eleven, into prostitution despite internal rules against child exploitation. Journalist Carleigh Baker later noted the stark contrast between the gentle, generous boyfriend described by former girlfriends and the hardened thug running a violent prostitution ring. By 1992, their income allowed them to rent a house, and Danny emerged as the gang's primary enforcer, involved in at least 14 shootings between 1990 and 1994. He disdained drive-by shootings as cowardly, preferring riskier walk-by confrontations to burnish his fearless reputation. The precise number of his murders remains unknown, as rivals adhered to a code of silence and younger gang members often confessed to his crimes to protect him. A notable 1993 shootout with a rival gang called the Crips saw Danny ambush a van, standing in the open to empty his handgun without regard for return fire.

Conflict with Rival Gangs and Prison

Danny Wolfe chafed at the Indian Posse's subordinate role in the Winnipeg underworld, where they acted as street-level subcontractors for more powerful Asian crime syndicates and outlaw biker gangs like Los Bravos and the Spartans. These groups supplied drugs at inflated prices while offloading all the risk of street dealing onto the Posse. Wolfe harboured a particular hatred for the racist Hells Angels, who had a strict whites-only policy and used Nazi imagery, and who began operating in Winnipeg through national president Walter Stadnick in the early 1990s. The Hells Angels eventually backed a rival Indigenous gang, the Manitoba Warriors, who became the Indian Posse's archenemies after a feud began in 1994. Wolfe's criminal career was repeatedly interrupted by prison. In July 1994, he escaped from the Manitoba Youth Centre, leading to a conviction for escaping lawful custody and his first stint in an adult facility, the Headingley Correctional Centre. Despite his small stature, he was known as a ferocious fighter in prison brawls. His brother Richard, also incarcerated, later claimed he saved many foes from being killed by Danny. Released in December 1994, Danny returned to the streets, but his brother's imprisonment for attempted murder in May 1995 after shooting a pizza deliveryman left Danny as the gang's sole leader. Danny was charged with obstruction of justice for threatening witnesses in that case. Unable to make bail, he was sent to Stony Mountain Penitentiary in September 1995. Prison psychologists noted his above-average intelligence and antisocial personality disorder, diagnosing him with traits like substance abuse and attention deficit disorder that made reoffending likely. Despite this, one psychologist in October 1996 reported that Wolfe genuinely believed the Indian Posse could evolve into a positive social movement for Indigenous spiritual well-being, citing his 1988 encounter with his homeless father as a motivating moment to reject such a fate.

Leadership, Expansion, and Legal Troubles

Paroled in September 1997, Wolfe was quickly returned to prison in October for associating with gang members, violating his parole. In April 1998, he was recorded arranging a drug smuggling attempt into Stony Mountain, which involved a baseball thrown over the prison walls. Despite these activities, prison officials described him as a pleasant, resourceful, and intelligent young man deeply committed to a criminal lifestyle. He showed interest in Cree traditions and began writing poetry while incarcerated. Released again on May 28, 1998, he moved to his mother's home on the Okanese reserve in Saskatchewan, immediately violating parole by getting a tattoo declaring him a full Indian Posse member. His stated mission in Saskatchewan was to expand the gang's reach, aiming to replicate its estimated 1,000-strong Manitoba membership. In July 1998, he toured northern Saskatchewan reserves, especially around Prince Albert, to recruit new members. The gang's activities continued to draw severe legal consequences. Key legal events in his later years included the 2008 prison escape while awaiting trial on two first-degree murder charges, his murder conviction on November 18, 2009, and a 2007 shooting spree for which he was convicted. In March 1999, he was sentenced to seven years for armed robbery and assault after torturing a couple during a home invasion. The Indian Posse preferred to sell drugs on remote northern reserves where prices were significantly higher. A gram of cocaine that sold for $100 in Winnipeg could fetch $1,000 on a remote northern reserve.

• March 1999: Sentenced to seven years for armed robbery and assault.
• 2008: Awaiting trial on two counts of first-degree murder at the Regina Correctional Centre.
• October 20, 2009: Went on trial for murder and attempted murder in Regina.
• November 18, 2009: Convicted of two counts of murder.
• January 2008: Charged with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder for the September 2007 Fort Qu'Appelle shootings.

Prison Escape and Nationwide Manhunt

While awaiting his 2009 murder trial at the Regina Correctional Centre in 2008, Danny Wolfe orchestrated one of the most audacious prison breaks in Canadian history. The escape involved six inmates, four of whom were facing murder charges and three of whom were Indian Posse members, and it triggered a massive nationwide manhunt by the RCMP. This event catapulted Wolfe to the status of the country's most wanted man, as he had vowed to target those who had turned against him. The breakout demonstrated his continued influence and ability to coordinate complex criminal operations even while incarcerated. This event marked a peak in his notoriety, transforming him from a gang leader into a headline-dominating fugitive. The Regina Correctional Centre was an old jail built in 1915 and last modernized in 1960, and its crumbling state provided avenues for escape. Wolfe used a nail clipper as a screwdriver to remove a grille covering a heating radiator in a blind spot of the security cameras.

Murder Spree and Investigation

On September 20, 2007, Danny Wolfe was involved in a verbal dispute in a bar in Fort Qu'Appelle with Bernard Percy Pascal, a member of the rival Native Syndicate. After the confrontation, Wolfe tracked down Pascal's truck to a house at 302 Pasqua Avenue. He broke into the house and opened fire. Wolfe killed Michael Itittakoose and Marvin Arnault. He wounded Pascal, Jesse Obey, and Cordell Keepness. Wolfe shot Pascal nine times. After running out of ammunition, Wolfe told the homeowner, Christina Cook, 'That'll teach 'em to mess with the IP'. The RCMP investigation led by Corporal Robin Zentner identified Wolfe from security camera footage of the bar altercation. He was arrested on September 28, 2007, for violating his parole. In January 2008, he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder. An undercover RCMP officer, Don Perron, was placed in his cell and recorded Wolfe confessing to the shootings and to the 2006 prison murder of Indian Posse member Sheldon McKay. Wolfe described how he and others strangled McKay to death in his cell on May 3, 2006, after a dispute over pills.

Death and Aftermath

Danny Wolfe was murdered on January 4, 2010. The circumstances of his killing were consistent with the violent world he inhabited. His death brought a sudden end to a life that had become a symbol of both the destructive power of Indigenous street gangs and the deep social failures that created them. The Indian Posse, the organization he helped build, endured beyond him, remaining a significant presence in the Canadian criminal landscape. His story has been the subject of extensive media analysis and the 2016 biography The Ballad of Danny Wolfe by journalist Joe Friesen, which drew on access to the Wolfe family to provide a portrait of his life and the complex forces that shaped it. Of the 12 founding members of the Indian Posse in 1988, only three were still alive by 2008.

Profile and Psychological Assessment

Danny Wolfe presented a complex and contradictory profile. Described by former girlfriends as a sweet, gentle, and generous young man who supplied them with gifts, he was simultaneously a ruthless enforcer who oversaw the exploitation of child prostitutes. Prison officials and psychologists noted he was pleasant, likeable, and possessed above-average intelligence. Psychological testing confirmed he had antisocial personality disorder, marked by a long criminal record, comfort with criminality, substance abuse, and an unstable lifestyle. He was not classified as a psychopath, but his traits strongly predicted reoffending. He exhibited a fierce, ungovernable rage in conflicts yet found solace in poetry and expressed a genuine belief that the Indian Posse could evolve into a positive force for Indigenous unity and strength. This dissonance between his traditional Cree heritage and his adopted criminal identity was a recurring theme, as was his obsession with maintaining a reputation for absolute fearlessness. His early brain damage from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, combined with severe childhood neglect and trauma, created a foundation for the chaotic and violent path his life would take.

Questions about Danny Wolfe

How did Danny Wolfe die?

Danny Wolfe was murdered on January 4, 2010. His death occurred in the violent milieu of gang conflict that had defined his adult life. He was killed while still a leader of the Indian Posse gang he helped create. The circumstances of his murder were a direct result of his long involvement in criminal activities and gang rivalries.

What was Danny Wolfe convicted of?

Danny Wolfe accumulated numerous convictions. His first was for break and enter at age 12 in 1989. Significant later convictions included obstruction of justice in 1995. In March 1999, he was sentenced to seven years for armed robbery and assault. In 2009, he was convicted of two counts of murder for the 2007 Fort Qu'Appelle shootings.

Did Danny Wolfe escape from prison?

Yes, Danny Wolfe escaped from prison. In 2008, while awaiting trial on two first-degree murder charges at the Regina Correctional Centre, he orchestrated a breakout. The escape involved six inmates and triggered a nationwide RCMP manhunt, making Wolfe the most wanted man in Canada at the time. He was eventually recaptured after this period as a fugitive.

What was Danny Wolfe's childhood like?

Danny Wolfe's childhood in Winnipeg's North End was defined by severe neglect, poverty, and trauma. Born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, he and his brother were largely left to raise themselves by alcoholic parents. His mother was a residential school survivor. The brothers scavenged for food, stole, and faced exclusion at school.

What is the Indian Posse gang?

The Indian Posse is a Canadian street gang co-founded by Danny and Richard Wolfe in 1988. It is primarily composed of Indigenous and Métis members. The gang is structured with tiers of membership and is governed by a council. Its activities included drug trafficking, prostitution, extortion, and violent crime. At its height, it had roughly 1,000 members in Manitoba and expanded into Saskatchewan.

What gang did Danny Wolfe found?

Danny Wolfe co-founded the Indian Posse street gang with his older brother Richard Wolfe Jr. in the summer of 1988 in Winnipeg. The brothers were inspired by gangsta rap and chose the name in an attempt to reclaim a derogatory term. The gang's structure, with three levels of membership identified by tattoos, was copied from outlaw biker gangs. It was initially formed in the basement of their mother's house on Beverley Street.

Sources and further reading

• Danny Wolfe (Wikipedia)
• The Ballad of Danny Wolfe (cbc.ca)

Checked by the Nosy Mag desk. Last updated 2026-10-31.