The Vermillion Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting during a police confrontation. VPD reports that it was made aware of a man traveling from Yankton to Vermillion around 12:15 a.m. on August 12, 2024.

VPD says the man reportedly violated a no contact order, had a rifle, and was suicidal. An officer located the man’s vehicle on the Highway 50 bypass. The vehicle was stopped just east of University Street so the officer could check on the man’s welfare.

As the officer was exiting his vehicle, he heard one gunshot coming from the man’s vehicle. Additional officers responded to the scene. Officers approached the man’s vehicle and found him deceased from a gunshot wound.

The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation will investigate the incident.