At 7:33 p.m. on July 25th, police were dispatched to an apartment complex at 100 Surfwood Drive for a report of shots fired. On arrival, police located two male subjects who had been shot. Both men were transported to Rapid City Regional Hospital for treatment.
One of the men, identified as 42-year-old Anthony Valandra of Box Elder, died at the hospital as the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He is the suspect in the original shooting.
The other man, identified as the victim in this incident, remains in critical condition at Rapid City Regional Hospital.
In the preliminary stages of this investigation police have determined the following:
- Valandra shot the victim in an apartment in the complex.
- Valandra and the victim exited the apartment. Valandra encountered a private security guard, identified as 34-year-old Trevor Lockrem of Rapid City, outside of the complex.
- Valandra fired shots at Lockrem and a bystander. Neither was struck.
- Fearing for his own safety and the safety of others, Lockrem fired at Valandra striking him once.
- Valandra walked around a corner of the complex. Lockrem pursued and witnessed Valandra shoot himself in the head. This suicide was witnessed by several other residents of the complex.
- Lockrem approached Valandra, secured Valandra’s weapon, and began rendering emergency first aid to the victim. Police arrived shortly after.
The subsequent execution of a search warrant of the apartment turned up multiple items of drug paraphernalia and items consistent with the distribution of methamphetamine. Both Valandra and the shooting victim have a criminal history that includes recent drug offenses for possession of methamphetamine.
“Once again, the drug underworld has put our neighborhoods and our families at risk of significant violence,” said Captain James Johns of the RCPD’s Criminal Investigation Division. “The meth epidemic impacts every individual in this community whether they, personally, are actively involved in it or not. We are extremely thankful no one else in this densely-populated complex was hurt as a result of this very dangerous incident.”