BIA releases footage of Standing Rock police shooting

The Bureau of Indian Affairs recently released video footage from a July 20 incident when a BIA officer shot and injured a man on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

Two video clips from the BIA officer's dash camera are nestled in a six-minute, 25-second briefing video that provides a summary of the events that day.

The first clip shows a portion of the pursuit leading up to the shooting, the second includes the shooting itself. Both were released Dec. 8.

"The community briefing video is intended to help members of the community gain a better understanding of what occurred," according to the BIA press release.

The video consists primarily of slides summarizing the incident and came with the caveat: "This incident is under investigation, and all statements in this briefing are based on the details we know at this point. As the investigation continues, more details may be revealed that change the understanding of this incident."

According to the information slides contained in the video, at about 5:30 p.m., the Corson County Sheriff's Office asked BIA Standing Rock law enforcement officers to help them locate a man who was making threats with a gun.

The agencies coordinated to meet at the sheriff's office in Mcintosh. The sheriff's office informed BIA law enforcement the man had fired a shot in front of a home that afternoon and had a history of assaults against police officers.

Law enforcement found the man driving a blue pickup truck in front of a rural residence just northwest of Bullhead. Law enforcement stopped the truck, and the man got out and waved the handgun before returning to the vehicle and driving away. Footage of that portion of the incident is not included in the video.

While driving away, the truck reportedly crashed into a BIA officer's vehicle that appears to be completely stopped. The first dash camera clip shows that incident.

The blue truck fishtailed along the shoulder on the wrong side of the road in a head-on direction of the BIA vehicle. The dash camera shows the truck descend into the ditch on the right-hand side of the BIA vehicle. There is a thump as the truck passes.

The BIA vehicle then made a U-turn into the ditch, got back onto the road and joined the pursuit of the blue truck. The clip then ends.

The next clip shows the incident in the parking lot of the Bullhead Community Center where the man was ultimately shot. It lasts about 50 seconds.

The BIA vehicle pulled into the parking lot and the man — whose face is blurred — is seen walking away from the truck. The driver side door of the truck is open.

The man held what appeared to be a gun in his right hand throughout the entire interaction. He walked in a straight line away from the truck, turned towards the dash camera, walked backwards for a few steps, turned away again and continued walking.

He then made a loop away from the dash camera and walked an almost half-circle in the parking lot. At that point, an officer shouted, "Drop that gun."

The man began to wave around his left hand, keeping his right hand with the apparent weapon down at his side. An officer then shouted, "Get down."

He then walked backwards away from law enforcement towards the edge of the parking lot, and an officer shouts, "Drop that gun."

As the man turned away, an officer shouted, "Get on the ground." The man kept walking. With his back turned to the camera, he was shot once. Two officers come into view of the camera, but their faces were blurred.

According to the BIA, law enforcement rendered first aid and called emergency medical services. He was taken to a hospital in Bismarck. On July 6, he was taken into federal custody. Neither his name nor the name of the BIA officer have been released.

Citing privacy purposes, some audio and images were concealed in the video, but the BIA stated the footage from the incident has not been edited aside from the privacy redactions.

The release of the footage comes about a year after the Department of the Interior announced a series of new law enforcement policies intended to advance transparent and accountable policing practices as part of the implementation of President Biden’s May 2022 Executive Order on advancing effective, accountable policing and strengthening public safety.

According to the BIA's Friday release, the bureau plans to consult with tribes on the development of a bureau policy consistent with the department’s policy and the president’s executive order.

"The BIA is committed to transparent policing and strengthening the public‘s trust in its law enforcement program," according to the statement.

The FBI is still investigating the shooting, and the BIA Office of Justice Services Internal Affairs Division is conducting an administrative review of the incident. Neither agency has completed their investigation.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: BIA releases footage of Standing Rock police shooting