A former mayor of the city of Centerville in South Dakota, Jay Ostrem, has been charged with three counts of First Degree Murder.
Ostrem was arrested and charged in connection with the shooting deaths of three people in Centerville on Monday night.
He is being held on a $1m cash-only bond in the Minnehaha County Jail.
The incident occurred on the 1000 block of Main Street Monday night.
According to court documents, one of the victims had called 911 at 9:44 p.m. and stated that their family member had been shot and killed by “a guy from across the street” and they had also been shot.
They then stopped communicating with dispatch. When an officer arrived on the scene, they observed Ostrem leaving the residence from where the 911 call originated.
Ostrem was eventually stopped and officers found a .380 handgun in his pants pocket and an AR-style rifle on the ground near him.
He was also bleeding from his left hand and the CO reported the smell of alcohol coming from him. Spent shotgun shell casings and at least one rifle casing was also found on Ostrem. He was then detained.
Authorities then found three deceased victims with apparent gunshot wounds in the residence.
An adult female family member of Ostrem told officers that on May 23, she had been sexually assaulted by a neighbor while they drank in her home.
On Monday evening, the family member reported this to Ostrem who then got up and left the home in a rage.
According to the family member, that was the last time she saw Ostrem before authorities arrived.
South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation.
