Rapid City police officer shoots man early Friday morning

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - A Rapid City man was shot by a Rapid City Police officer Friday morning at a Philadelphia Street apartment building. The man, whose name has not been released, was taken to the hospital where he was declared dead.

At a morning news conference, Hedrick said police received a report about 5:30 a.m., that a man was running through the hallways of the River Ridge Apartments. The officer was reportedly confronted by the man who, Hedrick said, “sprinted at the officer.” Hedrick stated that the officer thought he had been stabbed and that’s when he shot the man.

After talking to witnesses, police say that earlier, the man was stabbing himself with the knife. Hedrick added all indications point to the suspect attacking the officer. The officer was not injured.

We spoke with residents of River Ridge Apartments, many of whom were not allowed in the lobby Friday morning.

One person said that he believes the deceased man was dealing with a mental illness prior to the shooting.

“Usually, these things pan out and everything is fine later, you know they’re just blowing off steam. But it looked like it took a turn for the worst.”

The state Division of Criminal Investigation has now taken over the case. The DCI usually releases a report within 30 days of the shooting.

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