Investigation clears police officers involved in Rapid City shooting

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Two Rapid City police officers involved in a deadly July 26 shooting were “justified in using lethal force,” according to an investigation by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.

“There was a clear danger to the public. There was clear danger to the officers. This was a justified use of lethal force by the officers,” Attorney General Mark Vargo said.

Police were responding to a call about shots being fired in the parking lot of the Chances Casino on the 1500 block of Haines Avenue. The investigation report states that Marvin Moran Jr. fired at one police officer’s car before that officer and another responding officer returned fire, killing him. An autopsy showed that Moran suffered 10 gunshot wounds.

You can read the officer-involved-shooting summary here.

“The Rapid City Police Department officers faced a fluid, tense and undeniably dangerous situation,” Attorney General Mark Vargo said. “They responded to a service call and encountered an armed man pointing and discharging a firearm at law enforcement.”

Vargo went on to say that Moran shot at other people before police arrived at the scene.

“There was a clear danger to the public. There was clear danger to the officers. This was a justified use of lethal force by the officers,” Vargo said.

A review of Moran’s social media activity reportedly showed that he had suicidal thoughts and was thinking about “going out by cop.” Some of his social media posts were, according to the investigation, about going on a killing spree when he got close to the end of his life; and that he had an urge to kill someone.