Yes.
South Dakota law enforcement officers have fired their weapons more times in the past five years than any five-year stretch in the past 25 years.
From 2021 to July 9, there have been 32 officer involved shootings. In the previous five-year span (2016-2020), there were 21. In 2022, there were 13, and there have been five in 2025 as of July 7, when a 24-year-old man was shot by Sioux Falls Police multiple times after the man fired a handgun at three officers, according to the Division of Criminal Investigations.
The data does not include shootings on tribal land.
The Washington Post reported that 1,175 people were killed by law enforcement in 2024 – a record. That number has been steadily rising since 2016, when 959 were killed.
More people with access to guns and the increase in mental health calls and violent crime are cited as factors.
Sources
South Dakota Attorney General’s Office, Officer involved shootings
Washington Post, Fatal force database
The Argus Leader, DCI investigating July 7 officer-involved shooting in Sioux Falls
Dakota News Now, Police chief, sheriff say violent crime spike has many reasons
Social Science of Medicine, Social and policy characteristics associated with injurious shootings by police in US counties
South Dakota Attorney General’s Office, Statement on officer-involved shootings
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