Teenager shot by Sioux Falls police after pointing fake gun at officer, police say

Shelly Conlon and Alfonzo Galvan, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·2 min read
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A 17-year-old male was shot one time by a Sioux Falls police officer after the teenager pointed what turned out to be a "facsimile" gun at police, Chief Jon Thum said.

The teenager was hospitalized, but his condition hasn't been released.

The incident started at 5:11 p.m. when the subject made a call to 911 and told the dispatcher to "send a cop and an ambulance, because I'm about to commit a felony," Thum said.

During the call to dispatch the teenager claimed to have a shotgun, according to scanner traffic. He told dispatchers he was willing to shoot anybody and get shot at.

The teenager was threatening his ex-girlfriend and some others inside a residence in the area of Astoria Drive and Whistler Court in northwestern Sioux Falls, Thum said. He was not inside the residence at the time, but police contacted those who were inside the home and told them to shelter in place after determining who the male was threatening.

The family also reported receiving threatening texts from the 17-year-old who did not live in the neighborhood, Thum said.

When police arrived in the area, they found the teen with a gun, and a crisis negotiator began to speak with him, Thum said.

At some point, a less-lethal 40mm round was used, but it wasn't effective, Thum said. At that point, the male pointed the gun at police and an officer fired one shot at him, striking the teenager, Thum said.

Earlier: What do police mean when they say they used less-lethal force?

Thum said police "immediately rendered aid" and the teen was sent to a hospital.

The incident lasted between 20-25 minutes from when the call came in, Thum said.

The police chief didn't get into specifics about the gun that the teen displayed, but he said it wasn't real. He said he didn't know whether it was a toy gun or a airsoft gun.

The South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigations is handling the investigation.

The incident is the Sioux Falls Police Department's eighth-officer involved shooting since October 2021, according to Argus Leader reporting. Of those, four involved the death of a person.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls Police shoot teenager after gun pointed at officers: Thum