A Sioux Falls Police officer says a weekend shooting involving federal authorities is one example of local law enforcement collaborating with other agencies. The FBI is leading an investigation into a South Carolina murder suspect killed by a US Marshal Saturday in Sioux Falls.
Officer Sam Clemens with the Sioux Falls Police Department says federal authorities learned 37-year-old Lonnie Powers Junior from South Carolina…was in Sioux Falls and armed. They tracked the homicide suspect to a Lewis Drug parking lot. Clemens says police and US Marshals collaborated to keep people safe.
"We all work well together, so there’s a lot of information that gets passed between the different agencies," Clemens says. "In a case like this where you know that somebody, there’s a chance that they could be armed and dangerous, the Marshals called for the police department’s assistance, so we’ll do whatever we can to help people out."
Clemens says federal law enforcement officials drew their weapons and surrounded the suspect in his car. He says officials talked to him.
"And at some point he ended up pulling out a handgun, and one of the deputy Marshals shot the suspect, and he died on scene," Clemens says.
Clemens says one Marshal fired one shot, and it hit the suspect in the chest.
Clemens says US Marshals occasionally help local law enforcement with investigations but typically search for people they suspect of serious crimes.