RAPID CITY, SD – A Rapid City man has been placed under arrest for first degree murder. Timothy Hauante, 45, was taken into custody in connection with the investigation into the February 20th fatal shooting incident at 826 Main Street.
Shortly before 1:00 a.m. on February 20th, police were dispatched to 826 Main Street for a shooting that had just occurred inside the business. Responding officers encountered a chaotic situation on arrival. Police officers located a single gunshot victim, later identified as 30-year-old Dallas Quick Bear of Rapid City. Emergency life-saving measures were attempted before a medical unit arrived to transport Quick Bear to the hospital. Police later learned that Quick Bear had died of his injuries at the hospital.
In the hours and days following the shooting event, members of the both the RCPD and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division conducted dozens of interviews with witnesses. These interviews included an interview with Huante who wished to speak with police the morning of the shooting. During the course of this interview, very few details were garnered. Detectives and investigators continued to comb the downtown area looking for cameras that may have captured the suspect responsible for the shooting.
During the course of the investigation, police were alerted to a handgun that had been discarded in the 400 block of 7th Street. Law enforcement reviewed video footage of the area where the gun was left and were able to identify a single individual responsible for discarding the weapon. Police then worked through collected video to establish the individual seen discarding the gun had left 826 Main Street immediately following the shooting. This individual was identified as Huante.
On February 23rd, Huante was interviewed by detectives and investigators. Following his interview, he was placed under arrest for First Degree Murder.
“This is a fantastic example of the power of old-school detective work at its finest,” says Captain James Johns, Commander of the RCPD’s Criminal Investigation Division. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of the men and women of the RCPD and PCSO, we were able to identify and locate the individual responsible for this crime. There is still plenty of work left to do in this investigation, but we can rest easier knowing the suspect will now answer for their actions.”
This case has since been handed over to the Pennington County State Attorney’s Office for prosecution. As a result, any further inquiries for details about the investigation should be directed to their office.
The charges are accusations and the arrested individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Any additional details regarding this case can be obtained from the Pennington County State’s Attorney and/or court records as appropriate
