Sioux Falls has seen more police shootings within the last 2 years than in 2 decades
In the past two years, more shootings involving law enforcement in the Sioux Falls area have occurred than at any other time in almost the last two decades.
Before an October 2021 incident that left a man with a knife dead, there had only been eight "officer-involved shootings" in the city since 2004. As of today, there have been a total of 19. Of those, four have involved the death of a person, according to Argus Leader reporting.
The area has also seen a significant population boom within the last five years.
More: Sioux Falls is the fastest-growing city in the Midwest, US Census data shows
In the Midwest, among all metro areas ― regions with at least one urbanized area of 50,000 people or more ― Sioux Falls grew the fastest, at 6.3%. It ranked 171st in size nationally at 304,555. The Sioux City, IA-NE-SD metro area's population of 144,402 ranked it at 298th in size nationally, according to the data.
Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum said in August 2022 the increase in shootings are not officer-driven, but a response to other people's actions.
"What we're seeing now is just like I've mentioned this in some of our previous press conferences, just more willingness to use weapons, against officers, which we haven't really seen in the past," he said at the time. "And I hope, like I said that this last couple of months, it was just kind of been a statistical blip."
City growth has been a contributing factor to more criminal activity, but Thum said Friday that his department has responded to more than 400,000 calls for service under his tenure and most do not end in officers shooting people.
Here's a closer look at what we know about each of those cases, who fired a weapon and whether investigators deemed the shootings by law enforcement justified:
Law enforcement shootings in Sioux Falls since 2004
Date: Feb. 2, 2004
Name of Person Shot: John Stevenson Lewis, 42
Names of Officers: Mike Iverson and Scott Reitmeier, Sioux Falls Police Department
Location: 4408 North Seubert Avenue
Circumstances: Lewis was shot twice in the chest by two officers who pulled his car over while investigating a burglary. He told the officers he was going to shoot them and then fired a shot at them. Lewis was given two life sentences for attempted murder.
---
Date: Aug. 13, 2010
Name of Person Shot: Thomas Clair Webster, 55
Names of Officers: Craig Butler and Joe Bosman, Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office
Location: 1301 East Bennett Street
Circumstances: Webster died after being shot six times by two deputies who were trying to arrest him on a warrant for failing to appear in court. He was shot after sheriff's officers say he tried to point a gun at the deputies.
---
More: Homicides in Sioux Falls area are the lowest they've been in 14 years, police say
Date: May 18, 2011
Name of Person Shot: Aaron Sivert Thompson, 30
Names of Officers: Ron Schwint, Steve Redmond, Travis Olsen, Paul Creviston and Matt Cook, Sioux Falls Police Department
Location: 3000 block of East 19th Street
Circumstances: Thompson was shot 14 times by five Sioux Falls police officers and died from his injuries. He fired his pistol at two of the officers who came to his home after he threatened to kill himself and others.
---
Date: Oct. 17, 2012
Name of Person Shot: Rachel Lee Coleman, 25
Location: The Bridges Shopping Center, 57th Street and Western Avenue
Circumstances: Coleman led the Highway Patrol on a pursuit after Trooper Andrew Steen tried to pull her over for erratic driving. The pursuit led to the Bridges shopping center parking lot, where Coleman hit Steen’s car with her own. Steen got out of the car and fired at the vehicle before it eventually struck him and threw him on top of the hood, causing life-threatening injuries from which he eventually recovered. Several other officers also fired their weapons at Coleman, who was hit three times during the incident. She was sentenced to 39 years in prison.
---
Date: Oct. 14, 2013
Name of Person Shot: Jacob Daniel Westberg, 22
Name of Officer: Andrew Siebenborn, Sioux Falls Police Department
Location: 6613 West 15th Place
Circumstances: Westberg was shot and killed during a standoff with police at his home that began after he threatened to shoot himself. Westberg pointed what turned out to be an unloaded gun at an officer, who then fired back, killing him.
---
Date: Sept. 23, 2017
Name of Person Shot: Christopher Scott Sanftleben, 46
Name of Officer: Taylor Court, Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office
Location: 6200 North Cliff Avenue
Circumstances: Sanftleben was shot in the chest by a deputy after he pointed what turned out to be an unloaded pellet gun at the deputy. The deputy had originally come to Sanftleben's house after his wife reported he was being drunk and abusive. Sanftleben was sentenced to four years in prison.
---
Date: May 21, 2019
Name of Person Shot: George Lee Rinzy Jr., 44
Name of Officer: Deputy Craig Olson, Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office
Location: 500 North Minnesota Avenue
Circumstances: Rinzy was shot by Olson after authorities said he charged at him while brandishing a knife after deputies responded to a report of Rinzy breaking the front door of the jail with a bottle. Rinzy survived and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
---
Date: Oct. 6, 2019
Name of Person Shot: Trent Wagner
Name of Officer: Unknown, Sioux Falls Police Department withholding name, citing Marsy's Law
Location: 3600 block of North 6th Avenue
Circumstances: Officers were called to a Sioux Falls residence for a weapons violation following a 911 call, and police said as they approached Wagner at the scene, he fled, firing a shot from a revolver. The pursuit continued, ending when police said Wagner pointed the gun at one of the officers before he was shot by the other officer three times. Wagner survived and was later sentenced to 25 years in prison.
---
Date: Oct. 28, 2021
Name of Person Shot: Elwood Joseph Dwyer Jr., 52, of Sioux Falls
Name of Officer: No names released, but shell casings were found at the scene that matched a Sioux Falls Police Department SWAT Officer’s .223 caliber AR-15 and a Minnehaha County Deputy Sheriff SWAT Sniper’s .308 caliber bolt action rifle.
Location: 400 block of Garfield Avenue
Circumstances: Dwyer was shot and killed by police after an hour-long standoff following a domestic situation where three people arrived at the hospital with stab wounds, according to previous reporting. One victim, a 70-year-old man, later died of his wounds.
Police responded to a residence at the 400 block of Garfield Avenue after an adult woman arrived at the Sanford Hospital Emergency Room around 7:30 a.m. with the older man and her juvenile son, according to the report. She told police that Dwyer was an ex-boyfriend and her son’s father.
Police arrived at the residence and started negotiations for nearly an hour and a half, according to the report. At about 8:11 a.m., Dwyer opened the front door, armed with a knife and bleeding from his arms, and told negotiators “I killed my son” and “that’s all I had.”
The SWAT team was called to the residence at 8:12 a.m., according to the report.
Nearly an hour later, Dwyer exited the house through the front door with a large knife in hand, according to the report. SWAT officers fired two less-lethal 40-mm rounds in an attempt to get him to drop the knife. One officer said a round hit Dwyer’s left leg and “he looked surprised,” and “having a ‘super angry, seeing red face.’”
Dwyer then charged at officers with the knife raised and five shots were fired at him, according to the report. Dwyer collapsed to the ground where he was observed to still be breathing and holding the knife. Officers fired three more less lethal rounds in an attempt to distance him from the knife and a K-9 was used to drag Dwyer away from the knife.
More: Sheriff, police justified in shooting man who stabbed three, per Attorney General report
SWAT members performed first aid but Dwyer died at the scene, according to the report.
Dwyer’s autopsy confirmed he had been shot five times in the chest, right arm and left arm, according to the report. Dwyer tested positive for amphetamine, methamphetamine and stimulants.
The Attorney General’s Office reported “reasonable officers present at the scene utilized deadly force in a situation that was tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving,” in their justification of the deadly shooting.
---
Date: Nov. 28, 2021
Name of Person Shot: No one was injured, and the name of those involved is unknown. The suspects involved were not caught.
Name of Officer: Unknown
Location: near Paulton Avenue and Southeastern Avenue
Circumstances: Two Sioux Falls police officers were almost hit by a mini van trying to flee from police, which resulted in police firing at the vehicle, according to a news release by the agency. The Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office was asked to investigate the officer-involved-shooting incident, according to the release. The exact status of this case is unknown. No one was injured.
---
Date: March 31, 2022
Name of Person Shot: Cody Kelley, 41
Name of Officer: The DCI report did not release the names of the officer who fired their gun at Kelley because of the state's interpretation of Marsy's Law.
Location: 1900 block of West 6th Street
Circumstances: Police were called to the residence around 10:40 p.m. by an individual who reported his brother, Kelley, had harmed himself and overdosed, according to the report. They also stated that he had access to knives.
Kelley told officers that he wanted to harm himself as well as other people, and that he was struggling with "demons," according to the report.
Officers entered the apartment at 11:32 p.m. where they found Kelley in the bathroom with a knife to his neck, according to the report. One officer fired two less-lethal rounds at Kelley, which were unsuccessful. Other officers commanded him to drop the knife.
A taser was deployed and Kelley faltered with the knife, allowing officers to try and physically restrain him, according to the report. He struggled against the restraint and another taser was fired, which again was unsuccessful.
More: What do police mean when they say they used less-lethal force?
During the struggle, Kelley grabbed a knife and slashed two officers, injuring them, according to the report.
One of the officers who sustained a small cut to their leg pulled his gun out and fired their gun 10 times at Kelley at 11:33 p.m., according to the report. Six of those shots hit Kelley.
Kelley told the officers "thank you" before he was taken to another room for first-aid. He was transported to a Sioux Falls hospital at 11:36 p.m., where he later died of his injuries, according to the report.
The investigation by DCI found that the Sioux Falls police officer was justified in their actions of firing their weapon and using lethal force.
---
Date: June 22, 2022
Name of Person Shot (at): Asa Woodenknife, 31, of Sioux Falls
Name of Officer: Not released at this time, but an officer with the Sioux Falls Police Department was placed on administrative leave, according to Assistant Police Chief Nick Cook.
Location: 41st Street and Caroline Avenue in southwestern Sioux Falls
Circumstances: An officer fired shots at a suspect who was arrested during an incident involving a stolen vehicle. Cook said at the time the suspect brandished a knife as well as a firearm during the incident, but it's unclear if any shots were fired by the suspect at police as well as how many shots were fired overall.
There were no injuries and no damage to nearby buildings or vehicles, Cook said.
Asa Woodenknife, 31, of Sioux Falls, was charged with aggravated assault on law enforcement, possession of a firearm by a former violent offender and possession of a stolen vehicle, Cook said. Woodenknife also had several local warrants, and a woman inside the vehicle at the time was also taken into custody.
DCI ruled the shooting justified on Sept. 2.
---
Date: July 3, 2022
Name of Person Shot: Glenn Scott Nisich, 57, from Sioux Falls
Name of Officer: Not released at this time.
Location: 1800 block of E. 29th Street N.
Circumstances: What started as a potential robbery in Hartford on a Saturday, turned deadly when police say Nisich was involved in a shooting with two other people during the incident, before he left the scene. One of the individuals died later at a local hospital from the shooting, while another victim sustained serious injuries, but was later released.
The surviving victim was able to identify Nisich, according to officials from both agencies involved, the Sioux Falls Police Department and the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office, during a press conference. The departments then tried to serve a search warrant at Nisich's residence early Sunday morning, which turned into a standoff that lasted more than two hours.
Sioux Falls Chief Jon Thum claimed Nisich shot in the direction of law enforcement, the drone and the neighborhood. A specific number of shots wasn't given by officials, but Thum said "it was more than one." A sniper on scene took a shot that incapacitated Nisich. He was pronounced dead on scene, Thum said.
DCI ruled the shooting as justified.
---
Date: July 11, 2022
Name of Person Shot: Nobody was shot
Name of Officer: Not released at this time.
Location: Near the intersection of Sixth Street and Cleveland Avenue
Circumstances: Police fired "multiple" gunshots at a man who had a shotgun and "brandished" it at officers during a traffic stop Monday afternoon in eastern Sioux Falls, Chief Jon Thum said. Nobody was hit by the gunshots, which were fired by police at a car wash parking lot at Sixth Street and Cleveland, Thum said.
Three people were arrested.
DCI deemed the shooting justified Sept. 8.
_________
Date: Aug. 9, 2022
Name of Person Shot: Jacob Michael James, 21, from Sioux Falls, was fatally shot by a SFPD detective and a Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office Investigator
Name of Officer(s): Not released at this time.
Location: At the Burger King on 12th Street and Kiwanis Avenue.
Circumstances: Exact details remain unclear as of 9 p.m. Aug. 9, but a press release from the Sioux Falls Police Department says Sioux Falls officers and a deputy from the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office were attempting to do traffic stop when an individual involved "engaged officers with a firearm."
Law enforcement then returned fire, the release stated. It's unclear whether anyone else was injured, whether anyone was arrested and how many officers may be on administrative leave.
DCI ruled the shooting as justified.
_________
Date: Sept. 19, 2022
Name of Person Shot: Unknown at this time.
Name of Officer(s): Not released at this time.
Location: Yukon Trail and North Olympia Drive
Circumstances: A press release from the Sioux Falls Police Department says a Sioux Falls officer shot a male after the male called police shortly after 5 p.m. Sept. 19, stating he had a gun and planned to commit a felony. A summary report of the shooting by DCI states the male was a juvenile.
When officers arrived, they encountered the male, and that ended with a Sioux Falls police officer shooting the male involved. Officers on scene provided aid until paramedics arrived and took the male to a nearby hospital. Details of that encounter and the planned felony are unknown.
DCI later ruled the shooting justified.
_________
Date: Dec. 20, 2022
Name of Person Shot: Thomas Earl TwoBulls, 48, had non-life-threatening injuries; Renee Two Bulls, 22-year-old woman, hospitalized, condition unknown as of Dec. 21
Name of Officer(s): Not released at this time.
Location: Minnesota Avenue and Russell Street
Circumstances: Police attempted to perform a traffic stop on a car shortly before 1:30 p.m., with the officer and the car pulling into the parking lot of a Kum & Go gas station. After the officer got out of his car, police say the suspect vehicle began to drive at him.
Fearing that he was going to be hit, police said the officer fired his weapon into the car several times, hitting a female driver and a male passenger. As of Dec. 20, police said the man had suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while there was not an update on the driver of the car. The shooting was investigated by the state's Department of Criminal Investigation.
DCI ruled the shooting justified.
_________
Date: July 14, 2023
Name of Person Shot: Sean Kilbourn, a 35-year-old man who suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at a local hospital before being released to the Minnehaha County Jail.
Name of Officers(s): Not released at this time
Location: Russell Street and Duluth Avenue
Circumstances: Police were responding to a call early on the morning of July 14 when they saw a man who matched the description of a suspect in a recent incident where a man had held a homeowner at gunpoint after being found searching through their garage.
A foot pursuit took place as the man fled from police, and an officer encountered him in a residential backyard and shot him. Police have not stated whether the suspect drew a weapon or pointed a weapon at officers, although a firearm was recovered at the scene.
DCI ruled the shooting justified.
More: DCI, Jackley rule Sioux Falls officer was justified in July 14 shooting
____
Date: April 4, 2024
Name of Person Shot: Not released at this time.
Name of Officer(s): Not released at this time.
Location: In the 4100 block of West Cayman Avenue
Circumstances: Officers were assisting deputies with the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office at a building in the area, and while inside, a man they were looking for threatened officers with a knife, a press release from the police department stated.
"Sioux Falls Police officers used less-lethal munitions in an attempt to stop the threat, but it was unsuccessful," the release states. "Officers were again threatened with a knife and fired a gun at the suspect to stop the threat. The suspect was given first aid and was taken to a hospital for treatment. There were no other injuries to anyone involved."
DCI has ruled the shooting as justified.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: 11 police shootings in Sioux Falls since 2021: What we know
