Sioux Falls man arrested for deadly shooting, claims incident was accidental

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – A 67-year-old man has been taken into custody in connection to a deadly shooting in Sioux Falls the day after Christmas.

Sidney Robert Rollings has been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

On December 26, police responded to the area of 11th Street and Sneve Avenue around 8:45 a.m. for a report of a victim with a gunshot wound to his leg.

The victim, who has been identified as 38-year-old Michael Christopher McDaniel of Sioux Falls, was lying in the roadway when officers arrived. He died on the scene.

According to court documents, a trail of blood from the victim led investigators to Rollings’ apartment.

As investigators reached Rollings’ door, Metro Communication received a call from Rollings, who said that he had “pulled out a gun and it went off and hit him.”

When investigators knocked, Rollings answered and allowed police to search his apartment where the weapon was located.

Rollings told investigators the shooting was accidental and that he thought the safety was on when he was waving it back and forth and it went off, striking McDaniel.

Rollings was taken in for an interview where he told investigators he met McDaniel on a dating app a few days prior.

Rollings said the victim had come to his residence on December 22nd with the intention of having intercourse and injecting Methamphetamine. He claimed that McDaniel had been kicked out of his residence and began moving his items into Rollings’ residence the next day. McDaniel also continuously took Rollings’ pickup.

Rollings claimed that during his stay, McDaniel would make comments about previous prison fights he had been in and showed Rollings a shiv he made. According to court documents, this made Rollings concerned and he described the victim as “unpredictable and volatile.”

On December 26, Rollings said that McDaniel was gathering clothing from a dryer in his bedroom when Rollings grabbed the firearm and began waving it and telling McDaniel to leave. When the gun suddenly went off, Rollings didn’t initially believe the victim when he said he had been shot.

McDaniel gathered his belongings and ran from the apartment. Rollings said he called 911 when he saw the victim lying on the road. During this call, Rolling said “I don’t know what’s wrong… Looks like he’s bleeding, came out of this apartment building.”

Rollings admitted to investigators he did not initially plan to notify dispatch of his involvement, but when realized the blood trail led to his apartment, he realized admitted what he did was the right thing to do.

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