A Mitchell man who shot and wounded two people and fired multiple rounds at police officers in late December pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to all charges.
Connor Hoy, 21, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer, two counts of domestic abuse and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of aggravated eluding and one count of reckless weapon use. Hoy’s charges stem from a Dec. 20, 2020 incident, near the 700 block of South Rowley Street in Mitchell, where police say he shot two victims with a shotgun and fired multiple rounds at officers before he fled the scene with his vehicle.
According to court documents, officers were dispatched to the 700 block of South Rowley Street after two victims were reportedly shot by an intoxicated man, who was later identified as Hoy. Upon officers arriving at the scene in the early hours of Dec. 20, 2020, Hoy fired multiple shots at Mitchell Police patrol vehicles while officers were still inside. Moments later, Hoy entered his vehicle and fled the scene, resulting in a pursuit. A grand jury indicted Hoy on Jan. 4, court documents show.
Prior to the pursuit, witnesses involved in the incident reported Hoy was intoxicated when he obtained a handgun inside the residence. The female witness told authorities she felt bullets that Hoy fired “whiz by her head” inside the residence.
Moments later, Hoy left the residence unarmed until he obtained a shotgun from his vehicle. According to police reports, a friend of Hoy’s arrived at the residence near South Rowley Street. Upon arriving, witnesses said Hoy shot the male victim — who was not identified in police reports — in the lower abdomen, causing him to collapse on the street.
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As the male victim was lying wounded on the street, a female approached the male but was shot in the leg by Hoy in the process, according to court documents. Both victims who sustained gunshot wounds suffered serious injuries but survived the incident, as first responders managed to provide medical attention.
When officers arrived at the scene, Hoy allegedly fled in his vehicle, leading officers on a pursuit outside of the city limits and into rural Davison County. As officers were pursuing Hoy, he came to a stop and exited his vehicle to fire multiple rounds at the authorities inside their patrol vehicles. According to police reports, no officers were wounded or sustained injuries from the gunshots that Hoy fired throughout the incident.
Hoy then re-entered into his vehicle and attempted to flee from officers once again. After arriving at a field, officers had positioned patrol vehicles on the nearby road to block Hoy in. But Hoy escaped the barricade effort by ramming his car into the patrol officers vehicles, escaping once again. However, Hoy crashed his vehicle shortly after, which is when officers were able to take him into custody.
The incident prompted additional law enforcement agencies to get involved, including the Department of Criminal Investigation. Following the incident, Tim Bormann, chief of staff for the South Dakota Office of the Attorney General, of which the Division of Criminal Investigation is a part, confirmed the incident and said he was unable to provide further comment after the shooting. Since then, no further details of the incident have been released to the public.
Hoy could face up to 42 years in prison and roughly $160,000 in fines, if found guilty on all charges. In total, Hoy was charged with 15 felonies and two misdemeanors from the incident. Aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon is the most severe charge he’s facing, which is a class 2 felony that carries a maximum punishment of 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Aggravated assault with a weapon is a Class 3 felony, punishable upon conviction by up to 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.
Hoy was granted a request for a mental evaluation. In South Dakota, as part of a plea agreement, one can plea the crimes committed were due to a mental illness. Hoy will reappear in court on March 5.
