Former Mayor Charged In Triple Homicide

Former South Dakota mayor Jay Ostrem has been charged with three counts of murder.

Jay Ostrem 64, was booked on Tuesday morning in connection with a shooting that left three people dead.

The victims were a 21-year-old, 26-year-old, and a 35-year-old man.

According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, at 9:44 pm, a man by the name of Zach Frankus reported a shooting in Centreville.

While on the phone, Frankus told police his brother was shot dead and shared he was shot too.

Frankus ultimately stopped responding to the dispatcher on the phone.

Ostrem, who was the former mayor of Centreville, has since been booked at the Minnehaha County Jail and is being held on a $ 1 million bond.

Ex-South Dakota Mayor Charged in Triple Homicide – https://t.co/ESx82N5Wdx

— Crushy65 (@crushy65) May 29, 2024

Former South Dakota mayor charged in triple homicide https://t.co/LvFl8TgZqu pic.twitter.com/2K0CeMnwgY

— New York Post (@nypost) May 28, 2024

Here’s what USA Today reported:

A former South Dakota mayor has been arrested and charged in the fatal shooting of three people.

Jay Ostrem, 64, was booked Tuesday morning into the Minnehaha County Jail in connection with the Monday night shootings in Centerville, just south of Sioux Falls, according to the South Dakota Attorney General’s office. Ostrem, who served as the mayor of small town Centreville nearly 15 years ago, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and is being held on a $1 million bond.

Gunfire was reported at a Centerville home shortly before 10 p.m. Monday, court documents show. Zach Frankus, one of the victims who reported the shooting, said his brother had been shot and killed by a man with a shotgun, adding that the shooter had returned to his home. After some time, Frankus told the dispatcher that he had been shot and eventually stopped speaking.

Documents say responding authorities saw Ostrem leaving the home. Ostrem initially ignored commands to stop before laying down on the ground, documents say.

NEW: Former South Dakota small town mayor kills three men after one 'forced himself on his wife and exposed his genitals'

Jay Ostrem, 64, also worked in law enforcement for more than two decades in Wyoming and South Dakota

His wife told police she was sexually assaulted by a… pic.twitter.com/wyWHrmyhDx

— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) May 29, 2024

Per Argus Leader:

A former mayor and lawman of a small town in Turner County has been charged with three counts of murder, following the Monday night shootings of three people, according to a release from the South Dakota Attorney General’s office.

Jay Ostrem, 64, was booked Tuesday morning into the Minnehaha County Jail in connection with the Centerville shootings, which the release said occurred at about 10 p.m. Monday night.

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Court documents say that the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center received a call at 9:44 p.m. from a man identifying himself as Zach Frankus, who reported a shooting at a residence in Centerville.

Frankus said that his brother had been shot and killed by a man with a shotgun, adding that the shooter had returned to his home. Documents say that after some time, Frankus told the dispatcher that he had been shot, and eventually stopped speaking.

Authorities responded to the scene, where a Game Fish and Parks officer saw Ostrem leaving the home identified at the scene of the shooting. Documents say Ostrem initially ignored commands to stop before laying down on the ground.