A man shot by a police officer in Yankton Tuesday night faces four charges of attempted murder plus aggravated assault. Authorities with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation are scrutinizing the shooting and working to determine whether the shooting was justified.
The incident started at about 10 p.m. Tuesday when Yankton police officers responded to call about domestic violence involving a gun. The suspect was gone when they arrived at the home, and authorities looked for 19-year-old Trae Angel for more than an hour. Their search ended when law enforcement found Angel armed in an alley downtown, and Police Sergeant Jason Foote shot him.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says DCI is investigating.
“It’s generally been accepted that when there is an officer-involved shooting, because the Attorney General has the Division of Criminal Investigation, that we are brought in to really gather all of the evidence at the scene, talk to all of the witnesses that may be available in reference to what had occurred.” Jackley says. “And then ultimately we issue a report to the public.”
Jackley says that report details whether the officer was justified in firing a weapon and determines if the officer or the suspect should be charged with a crime.
Jackley says DCI’s review of officer-involved shootings supports transparency and helps relations between community members and law enforcement.
“I mean, we’ve been very fortunate in South Dakota that we have uniform training that is all done so that we are very consistent that ultimately we are able to have an outside agency come in that has that expertise to evaluate the shooting and then, again, I think that transparency part of it where we provide the information to the public really furthers or aids in the trust that the community has with law enforcement,” Jackley says.
Jackley says people can expect a summary report and findings within 30 days.
The Yankton man shot Tuesday night was taken to a local hospital and is being treated for his injuries.