Attorney General rules shooting by state trooper was justified

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says a South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper was justified in shooting a man who charged at the trooper during an October 11th incident in Dell Rapids.

This follows a Division of Criminal Investigation review.

Jackley says the suspect was suicidal and presented a clear and present danger. The man survived.

It began with an attempted traffic stop of a speeding vehicle on Interstate 229. Twenty-four-year-old Rotislav Bershad refused to stop. The pursuit ended when spike strips were used in Dell Rapids. Bershad left the vehicle and ran directly at the trooper, refusing to stop. The trooper fired two shots, striking the suspect once in the midsection. Bershad was transported by ambulance to a Sioux Falls hospital with serious injuries. No one else was hurt.

Bershad is an Israeli citizen living in the United States.

The vehicle later found to have been stolen from Sioux Falls and Bershad was above the legal blood alcohol limit to be driving.

Criminal charges are being handled by the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney’s Office.

November 9, 2023