Man fires gun into air after asking group of people if they are state employees, police say

Annie Todd and Alfonzo Galvan, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·2 min read
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A tan 2002 Ford F-250 that was involved in an early morning shooting in Sioux Falls.
A tan 2002 Ford F-250 that was involved in an early morning shooting in Sioux Falls.

Police are looking for a person of interest related to an early morning shooting Wednesday in Sioux Falls that may be related to Tuesday afternoon's shooting involving law enforcement.

The incident happened at about 8:15 a.m. at the 1400 block of Jessica Avenue in eastern Sioux Falls, according to Sam Clemens, a spokesperson for the Sioux Falls Police Department.

Law enforcement agencies are looking for Elliot Lincoln Jay Bird, 27, according to multiple press releases from different agencies.

Jay Bird was allegedly driving in a 2002 tan Ford F-250 pickup truck and pulled up next to a vehicle with construction license plates, said Sam Clemens, Sioux Falls Police Department spokesperson. The 27-year-old asked a group of people outside of the vehicle if they were state employees. They said they were not.

More: Man arrested after Giliberto's fatal shooting released from jail, court documents

Jay Bird then fired a single shot from a shotgun into the air before driving off, Clemens said.

Police were unable to find a shell casing from the firearm, Clemens said.

Elliot Lincoln Jay Bird
Elliot Lincoln Jay Bird

Clemens said it's unclear why the suspect was looking for state employees, but he would not say whether the individual was a danger to the public.

Police are still investigating and are currently looking for the tan pickup, Clemens said.

DPS: Individual 'involved' in Tuesday's shooting

The Department of Public Safety said in a release that the SFPD has received multiple reports and information that an "individual involved in an officer involved shooting Tuesday is looking for someone in law enforcement or a state employee to shoot."

More: Sioux Falls police say man shot and killed by officers fired gun at law enforcement

The subject was observed at an intersection in Sioux Falls on Wednesday making these statements and firing a shotgun in the air, according to the DPS release.

The release from DPS did not specifically name Jay Bird, but the vehicle description, photos and license plate numbers match the one's given by SFPD.

Clemens told the Argus Leader that Jay Bird is not the missing suspect in Tuesday's shooting that left one man dead outside a Burger King on 12th Street and Williams Avenue. In that case two other people were detained.

Jay Bird is a suspect only for the Wednesday morning shooting, Clemens said. Police don't know "definitely" what his relation, if any, is to Tuesday's incident.

Anyone who sees the pickup with the license plate FF0311, which was recently stolen in Sioux Falls, should notify police immediately.

Police believe the man who fired the gun is Elliot Lincoln Jay Bird, 27, Clemens said.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls police investigating shooting threat on state employees