Police Release Details Of RC Shooting

A Rapid City man is in critical condition after being shot by a police officer. It happened after police were called to an unknown disturbance Thursday night around 6 p.m.

Police say it all started at the public library downtown and ended on Quincy Street after a man allegedly threatened officers with a knife.

"Initially, it was an unknown problem.  Then prior to officers arriving there were reports that the glass front entryway was broken and that the subject did have a knife," Rapid City Police Department Assistant Chief Karl Jegeris said.

According to a press release, officers found 20-year-old Elijah Whitemagpie in the street wielding a large butcher knife.  After an attempt to subdue Whitemagpie with a taser failed, Senior Officer Jerry Moore fired four to six shots, hitting him an unknown number of times.

"It's standard procedure to put an officer that's involved in an officer-involved shooting on a period of leave for at least a few days, and that is the case in this situation," Jegeris said.

Whitemagpie was transported to the hospital where he is in critical condition.  While authorities don't know why Whitemagpie was agitated, it's not his first knife-related run in with police.

Last June, Whitemagpie was in a stand-off with police. When it ended, he was treated for self-inflicted knife wounds. Now, Whitemagpie is in critical condition and could face criminal charges.

"That'll be determined by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, but I would anticipate it's likely attempted murder and/or aggravated assault," Jegeris said.

A report on the investigation is expected in the next 30 days.