WHITEWOOD, S.D. – The suspect who was shot by a Whitewood police officer last Friday has been identified as 40-year-old Jaris Roy Kroetch of Rapid City.
The incident occurred at the Sonset gas station in Whitewood when police were called there for a report of an individual who was acting erratically.
Whitewood Police Chief Paul Witcraft says when the responding officer arrived on scene, Kroetch was suspected to be under the influence of a controlled substance, at which point, the officer attempted to place Kroetch under arrest.
Witcraft alleged that Kroetch resisted arrest, broke free from the officer’s custody, and made his way back to his vehicle, where he brandished a knife. He told the Black Hills Pioneer he was shot after refusing commands to drop the weapon.
Kroetch was shot in the upper right thigh, but Witcraft said he was unaware whether Kroetch made any attempt to attack the officer with the knife before the shot was fired.
Kroetch was taken to the hospital with a serious, but non life-threatening injury. He has since been charged with simple assault against a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Witcraft says the officer’s name involved in the shooting has not been released due to Marsy’s Law. The state attorney general’s office is investigating the shooting.
