SIOUX FALLS — An investigation by the state of South Dakota has cleared a Sioux Falls police officer in a December shooting that resulted in two people being injured.

In a news release, state Attorney General Marty Jackley said a state Division of Criminal Investigation made the findings regarding the Dec. 20 incident involving a vehicle’s driver at a business. Five shots in all were fired by an officer with the Sioux Falls Police Department, which injured the driver, Renee Two Bulls, and a passenger in her vehicle.

“This incident occurred in a tense, fast-changing environment where the public was present,” Jackley said. “The officer involved, based on the actions of the defendant and the circumstances of the situation, was justified in believing the lives of others in the area were in danger.”

The incident began when two Sioux Falls police officers conducted a traffic stop on a Kia Forte which had substitute license plates, according to the release. Two Bulls provided a fictitious name and birthdate and refused repeated commands to leave the vehicle, whereupon a struggle ensued with one of the two officers.

During the struggle, Two Bulls accelerated the vehicle in reverse while the driver’s door was opened, according to the release. Both officers were behind the opened door.

One officer fired five shots into the vehicle, then rendered aid to its two occupants. Two Bulls was shot four times and was hospitalized with non-fatal injuries. The front seat male passenger was shot once. He was taken to a local hospital where he was treated and released. 

Per the release, video and audio recordings, witness interviews and examination of evidence by the South Dakota Forensic Laboratory corroborated the findings of DCI investigators and the officer’s account that they faced a clear and present danger and that there was danger to the public.