Authorities have arrested a suspect in connection to a Dec. 26 shooting that left one man dead, Sioux Falls Police Department spokesperson Sam Clemens said in Monday’s police briefing for media.
Sidney Robert Rollings, 67, was booked Friday into the Minnehaha County Jail, according to a Minnehaha County court document. He is charged with one count of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Officers responded at 8:45 a.m. that day to East 11th Street and South Sneve Avenue, where they found a man with a gunshot wound in the street, according to affidavit in support of Rollings’ arrest.
Michael Christopher McDaniel, 38, had one bullet wound to the upper thigh, according to the affidavit. He died at the scene.
A trail of blood led from the roadway to Rollings’ nearby apartment, according to the affidavit. Additionally, Rollings’ allegedly called metro communications to report that he pulled a gun out “and it went off and hit him.”
Rollings cooperated with officers and told them the gun was still in the apartment and was unloaded, according to the affidavit. Officers found a pistol on Rollings’ bed with a spent shell casing placed next to it as well as a partially loaded magazine.
Previous Coverage: Sioux Falls Police investigate homicide the day after Christmas
Rollings told officers the shooting was accidental, according to the affidavit. He thought he may have to “get the guy out of there,” and was waving the gun back and forth when it “suddenly” went off.
In an interview with police, Rollings said he met McDaniel on a dating application, according to the affidavit. The pair allegedly began communicating around Dec. 22, and met up the same night “with the intention of having intercourse and injecting Methamphetamine.”
An acquaintance to Rollings appeared at the apartment during this time, in which he stated there was no concerning behavior between the two men, according to the affidavit. The acquaintance told officers he did not see McDaniel display any threatening behavior towards Rollings.
McDaniel had recently been kicked out of his residence and brought over bags and boxes of belongings to Rollings’ house, the affidavit alleges. Rollings told officers McDaniel took the keys to his car on Dec. 23, and left the residence.
In previous reporting from the Argus Leader, a neighbor, Lisa Joens, said McDaniel was staying with her at a nearby apartment complex.
Rollings was unclear where McDaniel went, and he did not return until Dec. 24, according to the affidavit. Rollings did not report the vehicle stolen and didn’t tell McDaniel he could not use the vehicle.
Rollings became upset with McDaniel because he did not return the vehicle in a “timely manner,” according to the affidavit. Rollings then took McDaniel with him to run errands, because he did not want McDaniel to be alone in his apartment.
After returning in the evening, McDaniel once again left with Rollings’ truck, according to the affidavit. Rollings told officers the keys were kept on a rack near the door, and McDaniel never took the keys from him or threatened him for the keys. He later told police he allowed McDaniel to use the truck.
Previous Coverage: Sioux Falls Police identify victim of Thursday morning’s fatal shooting
During his stay, Rollings’ alleged McDaniel made multiple comments regarding a previous stint in prison, and how he had “fought people during his time served,” according to the affidavit. Allegedly, McDaniel showed Rollings a “shiv” he made and made comments about how he had stabbed people in the past.
Rollings told officers McDaniel never threatened him directly, according to the affidavit. However, Rollings was “concerned” about McDaniel’s “unpredictable and volatile” behavior. So, the man allegedly retrieved the pistol from his room, placed a loaded magazine inside it, loaded a bullet into the chamber and placed the gun under a pillow on his bed.
Allegedly, Rollings has only owned the pistol for “roughly six months,” he told officers. He said he had never shot the pistol and “had issues manipulating it in the past.”
After McDaniel left again, Rollings locked his house and car keys in a safe in his residence so McDaniel “couldn’t take them anymore,” according to the affidavit. Sometime on Dec. 25, McDaniel allegedly became angry with Rollings over lost methamphetamine. He left and didn’t return until the next day.
On Dec. 26, Rollings was showering when McDaniel entered his apartment, according to the affidavit. McDaniel allegedly became upset with Rollings because he had to “walk everywhere” the night before.
The pair entered Rollings’ bedroom, where McDaniel began gathering clothing from a dryer, according to the affidavit. Rollings began waving the pistol, telling McDaniel to exit his apartment. Rollings told police he thought the safety on the pistol was still activated, and admitted to having his finger on the trigger.
McDaniel was loading his clothing items into a trash bag when the gun “suddenly went off,” Rollings told police. McDaniel began to shout that he had been shot. He gathered the trash bag and left the apartment.
Rollings told officers he then dropped the gun and called 911 when he saw McDaniel lying in the roadway, according to the affidavit.
In an interview with officers, Rollings admitted he had not previously called police or anyone else for assistance in removing McDaniel from his home, according to the affidavit. The man didn’t believe he could, because he had “invited” McDaniel inside.
Previous Coverage: Police investigate homicide at Legacy Village Apartments in eastern Sioux Falls crime scene
Rollings initially omitted the truth of his involvement in the 911 phone call, according to the affidavit. He told dispatch, “I don’t know what’s wrong, he’s got his pants around his g** d*** knees, and he’s lying there. Looks like he’s bleeding, came out of this apartment building.”
When Rollings realized police would trace the blood trail back to his apartment, he realized telling police “was the right thing to do,” according to the affidavit.
Rollings has indicated in all interviews that he pulled the trigger on the pistol accidentally, according to the affidavit. He told officers he considered shooting the gun into the dresser next to the victim to “scare him.”
Rollings was set to appear for an initial hearing on Jan. 6, according to court documents. As of Monday morning, Rollings is held on a $1 million cash bond, Clemens said.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Suspect arrested for December shooting that left 38-year-old dead