A La Plata County man who was shot and killed Tuesday south of Durango was identified Wednesday as George Sands.

Sands was homeless and worked for a family in exchange for meals and a place to stay, said his sister, Debbie Powell, who lives in Oregon. She called her brother kind, a hard-worker and a father of three girls and one boy who will have a “hard process of dealing with his death.”

Sands has five sisters and had an older brother who died in 2004, she said.

“George was a good person, not a perfect one but a good person,” she wrote in an email to The Durango Herald.

The shooting was reported about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday near Weaselskin Bridge at La Posta Road (County Road 213) and County Road 214.

The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office said the case is being handled by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, although the FBI was also involved.

The tribe has released few details about the shooting other than to confirm an incident took place and involved a tribal ranger.

Powell said her family has also received scant information about the death of her brother.

“This just feels really unjust and unmoral,” she said. “We realize under the circumstances there are steps to take. But I would think the family being notified would be on the top of that list.”

An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment Wednesday night, saying the case is “active and ongoing.”

shane@durangoherald.com