James Halstrom

"James? James, keep your head down. Where are you?"

- Art Jeffries

James Halstrom was the son of Edgar and Amy Halstrom, and younger brother of Isaac Halstrom. As a member of his father's anti-government militia, James took part in the seizure of the Sturgis, South Dakota bank on May 26, 1998, which resulted in a massive FBI taskforce surrounding the bank and attempting to negotiate release of the eleven hostages inside. Art Jeffries, an undercover FBI special agent, convinced James to confront his father, Edgar, in order to end the hostage crisis and "...to go home." Edgar struck James, in an attempt to discipline his son for wanting to leave. Jeffries soon managed to convince Halstrom to surrender, and was about to use the bank phone to inform the surrounding FBI forces of the decision, but was cut short as a the SWAT team under command of Francis Blake stormed the bank. Edgar, James' brother Isaac, and Edgar's brother Karl were killed within seconds, with James being shot by a perhaps overager SWAT agent while trying to reach Jeffries. James then died in Jeffries' arms, gaping bullet wounds pouring blood onto the agent's hands as he made an abortive attempt to perform CPR on James.