Tuthill area resident on shooting suspect: 'Nearly everyone believes it was made up'

I've written several pieces raising questions about the officer-related shooting at Tuthill Park on Jan. 1, some of which drew harsh response by those who claim that questioning the official version of events amounts to "hating cops."

Norris Tiensvold, who lives near Tuthill Park on Thunderbird Trail, also questions the results of the internal investigation but says he believes the city has a "darn good police force."

"They do a very good job, but sometimes policies need to be worked on," said Tiensvold. "Sometimes people need to be reminded of the policies, like an officer sitting in the dark with a semiautomatic pistol."

By now, we know the story: officer Anthony Davis said he was doing paperwork in his patrol car around 10:45 p.m. when an unidentified man approached his patrol car.

Lingering questions about Tuthill Park police incident

How the state investigates officer-involved shootings

According to the Sioux Falls Police internal report, Davis exited the vehicle and tried to talk to the suspect without getting a response. When the officer told him to show his hands, the suspect "pointed a black handgun at the officer with his right hand."

Davis then "moved out of the way of the gun pointed at him, drew his handgun, and fired at the person." He fired off eight rounds in fewer than two seconds, police said, but there is no evidence that the suspect fired at Davis or that any of the officer's bullets struck the man.

The suspect was never spotted and remains at large, police said, but Tiensvold says he and his neighbors are not concerned about their safety because they don't believe the suspect exists.

"No one in my neighborhood that I've talked to is worried about this incident, as nearly everyone believes it was made up," Tiensvold said. "Our belief is that there's something we're not being told that would lead us to believe that there is no boogeyman. There's too much not being told in this story to believe the official version. I think they just want it to go away."

His views echo what many have been thinking since the incident, while others point to the scanner audio and the rattled nature of Davis' voice as he announced "shots fired" and called for backup. Without an outside investigation or public release of the body microphone audio, it's hard to find solid answers.

Police Chief Doug Barthel defended Davis last week by saying that the officer's actions were justified and "within policy." He added that citizens "don't need to be alarmed that this (suspect) out there wants to harm the public. It's been two weeks and we've had no issues."

It could be that the uncertainty of the New Year's night incident never fully subsides. At the very least, the ability of citizens and media to question an official version of events without being labeled as "anti-police" could be a valuable lesson moving forward.