The gunman was not named. It is likely his body will undergo an autopsy. Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom said there was an outstanding warrant for the gunman for a prior assault on law enforcement charge.
Police also did not identify the casino. They did reveal that it took place in the 1500 block of Haines Avenue. There is one casino there Chances Casino. It could not be confirmed immediately whether that was the casino where the shooting occurred.
The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) will review the incident. This is standard procedure, given it was an officer-involved shooting. There were 15 witnesses in the parking lot at the time of the incident, authorities said. They will be interviewed by investigators.
Many social media posters praised the officers for their response. They also thanked that no victims nor officers were injured during the shooting.
One poster on Facebook, identified as Lucas Good Shield, recalled the history of the casino and said, “I remember before it was built, the community voted against it. It’s no good for nobody. It should be gone after something like this!”
Prior IncidentsRapid City casinos have seen several robberies and other violent incidents recently.
In May, a South Dakota teenager charged in connection with a March 19 fatal shooting at the , a Rapid City hotel-casino, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Quincy Bear Robe, 19, is accused of firing the bullet that killed Myron Pourier, also 19.
In December, , 19, pled guilty to first-degree robbery in connection with the March 2021 robbery at Joker’s Casino in Rapid City. Butler faces up to 25 years in prison. He could pay up to $50,000 in fines.
Also charged in the Joker’s Casino holdup were two women: Shannon Larive, 25, and Karmen Englert, 36. The trio of robbers allegedly used a shotgun in the heist.
In March 2021, Larive and Englert allegedly robbed South Dakota’s Market Square Casino. Larive also allegedly robbed Rushmore Casino, also located in the state.
