KIMBALL, S.D. - The standoff in rural Brule County ended shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday when the suspect surrendered to law enforcement.
Donald London, 42, of Kimball, was taken into police custody after spending more than a day barricaded in a residence at 24732 360th Avenue near Kimball, located about 3 miles north of the town.
Sgt. John Koenig, a 28-year veteran with the Highway Patrol who is stationed in Chamberlain, remains in stable condition after being wounded by a shot fired during the standoff, South Dakota Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Craig Price said during a Thursday morning conference call.
The standoff began Wednesday afternoon when London and a second individual barricaded themselves inside the house after calling the Brule County Sheriff’s Office and threatening law enforcement. When law enforcement attempted to make contact with the subject, shots were fired, including the one that hit Koenig. The second individual came out of the home at 8 p.m. Wednesday and was questioned.
Michael London, 66, was arrested Wednesday night and charged with being an accessory to aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, a felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
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Negotiators had been making routine contact with the suspect during the standoff, Price said during the conference call Thursday morning. Price was not able provide any new information about the circumstances that led to the standoff.
“There are a lot of details that are yet to be finalized to determine exactly what got us to this point,” he said.
Numerous law enforcement agencies assisted in the response to the standoff. In addition to the Highway Patrol and the Brule County Sheriff’s Office, sheriff’s departments from Minnehaha, Aurora, Buffalo, Jerauld and Lyman counties are involved, as are police departments from Mitchell and Chamberlain. The South Dakota Division of Game, Fish and Parks and the Division of Criminal Investigation are also involved, authorities said.
Students at the Kimball School District were released early Thursday due to inclement weather, according to Superintendent Jeffrey Rieckman. The school was asked by the Brule County Sheriff’s Office to limit traffic in and out of the building and to lock all of its doors when the standoff began Wednesday afternoon, Rieckman said. Students were released at the normal time Wednesday and returned Thursday morning before being dismissed early.
“It’s an eye-opening ordeal,” he said. “We’re looking out for the safety of our kids and we’re going to do what we have to in order to keep them safe.”
Kimball is about 100 miles southeast of Pierre, the state capital.
