South Dakota
3 shot to death in South Dakota town; former mayor, ex-law enforcement officer charged
Three people have been shot to death in a small South Dakota town, and a former law officer who once served as the town’s mayor has been charged in the killings.
Jay Ostrem, 64, was jailed on $1 million cash-only bond on three counts of first-degree murder, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said Tuesday in a news release.
“Law enforcement has secured the scene,” Jackley said. “There is no further threat to the public.”
A probable cause affidavit identified the victims as two brothers, ages 26 and 21, and a 35-year-old man. They were not immediately identified by name, as family members were still being informed. The document didn’t specify any connection between the third victim and the brothers.
Ostrem worked in law enforcement for more than two decades in Wyoming and South Dakota, media reports said. He served as mayor of Centerville about a decade-and-a-half ago, but the exact dates weren’t immediately available.
The probable cause document said a man in Centerville called police at 9:44 p.m. Monday to report that his brother had been shot by “a guy from across the street” and that the shooter had gone back home. The caller was still on the phone with a dispatcher when he said that he had been shot, too. He then stopped talking, the document said.
Ostrem was arrested a short time later. An AR-style rifle was on the ground near him, and he had a handgun in his pocket, the document stated. Officers then went to the home where the call originated and found all three victims.
Ostrem’s wife told police that a neighbor named Paul had sexually assaulted her on Thursday, and she told Ostrem about the assault Monday night, the document stated. She said Ostrem “got up and went raging out of the house,” according to the document.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Ostrem had an attorney. Calls to a phone listing for Ostrem went unanswered.
Centerville is about 40 miles south of Sioux Falls.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Legislation was considered to split Dakota Territory east-west at the Missouri River instead of the current north-south split that was approved in 1889.
A retrospective released by the state of South Dakota on the 125th anniversary of statehood noted that the east-west proposal did have some support.
The East/West Dakota would have followed the Missouri River and aligned regions with similar geographic and cultural identities.
The north-south border decision was motivated partially by resentment between the northern and southern portions of Dakota Territory over the location of the state capital. In 1883, the territory’s capital was moved from Yankton to Bismarck.
Other reasons cited included separate railroad systems, economic ties to major eastern cities (Sioux Falls and Fargo) and the growth of separate systems of public institutions.
This fact brief responds to conversations such as this one.
Sources
State of South Dakota, 125th anniversary story
BigThink.com, East and West Dakota? Here’s What Those States Would Look Like
Medium, A Tale of Two States
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LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) -Nebraska softball defeated South Dakota 4-1 in the opening game of its first NCAA Regional at Bowlin Stadium since 2013.
South Dakota took an early 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Wahoo native Autumn Iverson hit a home run to left field that struck the scoreboard. The Coyotes started five players from Nebraska in their lineup.
Nebraska tied the game in the fifth inning when Hannah Coor hit a two-out triple up the middle that rolled to the wall, scoring Jordy Frahm.
Hannah Camenzind followed with a fly ball to right field that scored Coor with the go-ahead run. Camenzind was thrown out attempting to stretch the hit into a triple, ending the inning.
The Huskers added insurance runs in the sixth inning when Kacie Hoffmann, an Elkhorn South alum, hit an RBI double that scored Samantha Bland and Kennadi Williams to make it 4-1.
Frahm closed out the game in the seventh inning. Bella Bacon caught a line drive for the final out.
Nebraska will play Grand Canyon on Saturday at noon in the winner’s bracket.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – As it gets closer to summer, more drivers will be on the road and the South Dakota Highway Patrol wants to remind drivers to stay vigilant behind the wheel.
With summer vacations, joy rides in the nice weather, and more drivers on the road, travel will be busier than usual.
On top of that, an increase in construction projects could cause delays and change traffic patterns.
All of this means drivers should stay alert when they are behind the wheel.
“With all of the traffic going on during the summer time during the road construction, we just want to remind people on the roadway to slow down, pay attention to the traffic signs, the construction workers, and the traffic ahead of them,” Trooper Tori Hurtig of the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
Also, reminding motorcyclists and drivers to remain aware of their surroundings.
“Be a proactive and defensive driver, so watch where you are going, watch where the other drivers are going, and also try and avoid any unnecessary corrective actions as well,” said Hurtig.
Highway Patrol also wants to remind people to wear seatbelts and, if driving a motorcycle, to wear a helmet.
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Copyright 2026 KTIV. All rights reserved.
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