Jackley: Deadly force justified in officer-involved shooting in Rapid City

January 12, 2023

PIERRE, S.D.–South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley (pictured) says a Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) review indicates that a Rapid City Police officer WAS justified in the shooting death of a man who charged at the officer during an incident Nov. 18, 2022 in Rapid City.

The officer had responded to an incident at a Rapid City apartment complex. The DCI investigation found that James Murphy had charged at the officer with a knife and attempted to the stab the officer. The officer subsequently discharged a duty-issued firearm twice and was justified in using lethal force. Murphy died as a result of his wounds.

Video and audio recordings from the officer’s body worn camera, witness interviews, examination of evidence by the South Dakota Forensic Laboratory and surveillance camera video corroborated the findings of DCI investigators and the officer’s account that they faced clear and present danger, and that there was danger to the public.