{"id":236730,"date":"2022-10-11T07:05:13","date_gmt":"2022-10-11T12:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=236730"},"modified":"2022-10-11T16:54:57","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T21:54:57","slug":"south-dakota-casino-deadly-gunfire-reviewed-police-officers-justified","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/south-dakota-casino-deadly-gunfire-reviewed-police-officers-justified\/","title":{"rendered":"South Dakota Casino Deadly Gunfire Reviewed, Police Officers Justified"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two Rapid City, S.D., police officers were justified in using lethal force this July when an armed man fired a shot in an officer\u2019s direction, officials announced on Friday. The shooter was killed by officers in front of Chances Casino in that state.<\/p>\n

\"South
South Dakota Attorney General Mark Vargo, pictured above. He announced recently that two police officers were justified in shooting an armed man at a casino. (Image: Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

South Dakota Attorney General Mark Vargo and the state\u2019s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) released a report that said that during the July 26 incident, Marvin Moran Jr., fired his handgun toward a patrol car in the casino\u2019s parking lot.<\/p>\n

That is when two officers returned fire. An autopsy revealed that Moran was struck by 10 bullets.<\/p>\n

Even before officers arrived at the gaming property, Moran was brandishing his gun and fired the weapon, officials said.<\/p>\n

Clear, Present Danger<\/h2>\n

The officers were justified in shooting at Moran, given that they \u201cfaced clear and present danger and there was danger to the public,\u201d the official report concluded. The officers \u201cbelieved they were in a situation in which Moran was attempting to inflict serious injury or death, and responded with deadly force.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Rapid City Police Department officers faced a fluid, tense, and undeniably dangerous situation,\u201d Vargo agreed in a statement.<\/p>\n

\n

A witness later told investigators Moran had confronted them in the casino\u2019s parking lot before the officers\u2019 arrival. He was drinking vodka from a bottle. Moran then brandished a handgun and fired the weapon in the direction of the witness, the witness said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The witness believed he\/she was wounded when debris hit them in the face. Moran also made threatening comments toward the witness.<\/p>\n

Wanted to Die<\/h2>\n

Investigators also looked at Moran\u2019s Facebook page. It showed messages that revealed he was suffering from cancer. He refused to get medical treatment.<\/p>\n

Moran talked about going on a killing spree when he got close to the end of his life,\u201d<\/strong> the report said. \u201cMoran talked about suicidal thoughts and thinking about \u2018going out by cop.\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Moran also had an \u201curge to kill someone, that he was following people, and he wanted to watch the life leave their body,\u201d the report added. He added in an online message that he \u201cdidn\u2019t have anything to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n

This message was sent at 8:15 p.m. the night of the casino shooting. The shooting took place just a couple of hours later.<\/p>\n

\"Rapid
Rapid City, S.D., police cruiser, pictured above. Two department officers were investigated for the shooting of an armed man at a local casino. Their actions were found to be justified. (Image: Flickr)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

During post-mortem tests, it was shown Moran\u2019s blood alcohol content (BAC) was 0.29. Typically, BAC of 0.8 percent or higher is considered intoxicated when driving a vehicle. He also had used methamphetamine (meth) before the shooting, post-mortem tests revealed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In the years before the shooting, Moran had a history of criminal arrests, such as for aggravated assault, domestic violence, theft, fraud, escape, and alcohol-related charges.<\/p>\n

Beyond the social media review and autopsy, the extensive inquiry included interviews of witnesses and taking statements from the officers. Also, evidence collected at the casino was examined by the state\u2019s forensic laboratory.<\/p>\n

In addition, investigators reviewed video. That included video from surveillance cameras at the crime scene, and video from cameras worn by the officers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two Rapid City, S.D., police officers were justified in using lethal force this July when an armed man fired a shot in an officer\u2019s direction, officials announced on Friday. The shooter was killed by officers in front of Chances Casino in that state. South Dakota Attorney General Mark Vargo and the state\u2019s Division of Criminal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":236732,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[13766,83177,81860],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSouth Dakota Casino Incident Reviewed, Police Justified in Killing Shooter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Two Rapid City, S.D., police officers were justified in using lethal force this July. 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