28 May 2024
CENTERVILLE, S.D. — A former sheriff’s deputy who also served as mayor of a South Dakota town is facing the death penalty following a Memorial Day shooting that left three dead.
Jay Ostrem, 64, of Centerville, was charged Tuesday with three counts of first-degree murder, each a Class A felony eligible for the death penalty.
The charges stem from shortly before 9:45 p.m. Monday, May 27, when law enforcement responded to a “frantic” report of a shooting in the 1000 block of Main Street in Centerville.
Court documents say a 911 caller had reported that his brother had been shot with a shotgun, and that the shooter had walked back across the street.
“After some time on the phone with the dispatcher, the male calling party then reported he had been shot,” court documents read. “Shortly after he reported he had been shot, the male stopped communicating with the dispatcher.”
According to a criminal complaint, the first officer on scene was a conservation officer with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. While waiting for backup, the conservation officer allegedly witnessed Ostrem exit the shooting scene.
The conservation officer reported that Ostrem at first refused commands to stop before complying. After backup — a Beresford police officer who traveled 12 miles to assist — arrived, Ostrem was taken into custody, and officers noted he emitted an odor of alcohol and had blood on his left hand.
Court documents say Ostrem was in possession of a .380 handgun, as well as spent shotgun shell casings and at least one rifle casing. The Beresford police officer noted that an “AR style rifle” was located near Ostrem upon the officer’s arrival.
After detaining Ostrem, the conservation officer and Beresford officer entered the home from which the 911 caller had called from and located the bodies of the 911 caller and his brother, as well as the body of a third man.
After the scene was secured, agents with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) interviewed Ostrem’s wife, who said she had been sexually assaulted by the 911 caller’s brother in the days prior to the shooting.
When the wife told Ostrem about the alleged assault on Tuesday, Ostrem allegedly “got up and went raging out of the house.” The wife wasn’t sure if Ostrem was armed, but acknowledged he was a former sheriff’s deputy and owned a black rifle.
Investigators with the DCI accuse Ostrem of crossing the street and killing the three men.
Ostrem was booked into the Minnehaha County Jail shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday. Mangan said he’s being held on a $1 million bond.
For each count of first-degree murder lodged against Ostrem, he faces a minimum punishment of life in prison and a maximum punishment of death, if convicted. An initial hearing had not yet been scheduled, as of midday Tuesday.
This is a developing story. Check back for more information.
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