An armed man in the parking lot of a Rapid City, S.D. gaming venue was shot dead by officers Tuesday night after he fired at police. The gunman initially was brandishing a firearm and shooting in the lot before cops arrived, police revealed.
Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom (left) and Rapid City Police Chief Don Hedrick provide an update on the officer-involved shooting at a casino. The shooter was killed by police officers. (Image: KNBN)
The threatening behavior continued when officers got on the scene.
The subject … fired at the police officers with a handgun,” Rapid City Police Chief Don Hedrick said in a video posted on Facebook. “One of our patrol cars was struck at least one time, but possibly three times.”
The officers returned fire. The gunman was killed.
“This appears to be … [an] attack on … police officers at this time,” Hedrick said.
“I, for one, am thankful that none of the police officers were hurt or injured tonight after being fired upon,” Hedrick added.
The gunman was not named. It is likely his body will undergo an autopsy.
Also, Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom said there was an outstanding warrant for the gunman for a prior assault on law enforcement charge.
The casino was not identified by police. It took place in the 1500 block of Haines Avenue. There is one casino there, called Chances Casino. It could not be confirmed immediately whether that was the casino where the shooting occurred.
Shooting Under Review
The incident will be reviewed by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). 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 Incidents
Rapid City casinos have seen several robberies and other violent incidents in recent years.
In May, a South Dakota teenager charged in connection with a March 19 fatal shooting at the Grand Gateway Hotel, 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, Nicholas Allen Butler, 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.
Also, 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.
In March 2019, two casinos were each the scene of robberies — one attempted and one successfully carried out. In one case, Quintez Provancial, 27, of Rapid City, allegedly tried to steal money from a cash drawer and attempted to sexually assault a woman in a bathroom at Happy Jacks Casino, which sits in a strip mall. When police searched his clothes, they found her cell phone, which she had told officers earlier that he had stolen during their struggle.
Provancial was charged with second-degree robbery, second-degree rape, and false imprisonment.
Also, an unidentified man scooped up money from a cash register at the Joker’s Casino, 1320 Mount Rushmore Road, after brandishing a pistol.
It is not immediately known how cases were adjudicated in court.
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