Detectives pursue additional shooter from Empire Mall incident

Police are looking for a second person thought to have fired a gun Friday night inside The Empire Mall.

The first person thought to have fired at least one shot was arrested soon after the incident. Police arrested 18-year-old Jaden Michael Justis Bingham of Sioux Falls on two counts of aggravated assault with a bond of $100,000.

“Detectives are working to try to identify everybody that was involved in the dispute that happened at The Empire Mall,” Lt. Aaron Nyberg said at a police briefing Monday morning.

“There’s still people to talk to and still video to watch to make sure we can find the other person who may have also fired a gun in this incident.”

Police said they think the incident outside Zumiez across from The Buckle was sparked by an unexpected meeting of two groups of teens or young adults who might have gang affiliations.

“The ongoing dispute picked up from there and escalated to where we had firearms produced and shots fired at each other,” Nyberg said.

When officers searched Bingham’s home in northeast Sioux Falls, they found two guns in the house and one in a vehicle, Nyberg said.

A description of the second suspect is available, but whether additional information or a photo is released depends on whether the person is a juvenile and state law applies, Nyberg said.

No one was hurt in the mall shooting, which happened just before 7:30 p.m. and caused stores to lock down.

The incident speaks to the need for intervention in young people’s lives early and often, Police Chief Jon Thum said.

“I will tell you this is not the first rodeo” for those involved in the mall shooting, he said. “They’re not strangers to us.”

While mentorship might not have prevented the situation, the incident highlights how there are troubled young people in the community who need positive influences, he said.

“I’ve got tons of people reaching out to me about the mall event and the shooting,” Thum said. “I wish we had the same level of curiosity and interest as far as how we can be involved in young people’s lives. … By the time we’re doing our part, there’s damage done and sometimes lives lost, and then we’re just cleaning up a mess.”

Hours after the shots were fired at the mall, police also responded to a call that turned into the city’s 15th homicide of the year.

When they arrived at home on North Aidan Avenue, they found the body of 39-year-old Alonzo Jeremy Little, who had been stabbed. They arrested Juan Carlos Flores, 30, shortly afterward on multiple charges, including murder. The two were in a relationship, and it’s thought to be a case of domestic violence, Nyberg said.

The two cases “pushed our people pretty hard this weekend,” Thum said, calling the quick arrests “a testament to their training and professionalism.”