SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Police have arrested a driver who fled from a fatal police shooting in Sioux Falls, officials said.
Police tweeted Wednesday night that the man was arrested after a brief pursuit in a stolen vehicle. He was driving a car with three other occupants when the vehicle was stopped by law enforcement in the parking lot of a Burger King restaurant in Sioux Falls Tuesday about 5:30 p.m.
While the driver sped away, the three others in the car tried to flee on foot with one man firing at law enforcement officers who returned gunshots, killing the man, according to police. Family members have identified him as 21-year-old Jacob James.
The other two in the vehicle, a man and woman, were arrested.
The drive-thru restaurant was busy, but no bystanders or officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire, said police Chief Jon Thum said.
Witnesses said they heard about 10 to 12 gunshots. Investigators cordoned off the area around the restaurant with yellow police tape. Patrons waited in their vehicles to be cleared from the scene.
The police officer and Minnehaha County sheriff’s deputy who fired their weapons are on administrative leave as the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation works the case.
Dozens of people gathered outside the Burger King Wednesday night where relatives leaned on each other and cried as they held up pictures of James.
Robert Johnson, a friend of James, asked for the youth to support each other during tough times such as the one they were experiencing.
“Trust your instincts and your hearts but use your minds to navigate through and make a positive impact,” Johnson said to those in attendance.
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