Last week Wednesday at approximately 5:22 a.m., Lincoln County Deputies responded to a residence near 272nd St. and Willow View Circle, just west of Harrisburg, for a possible home invasion with shots fired.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s office reported that while deputies were enroute, the suspect fled on foot. Multiple agencies, including Canton Police Department, Tea Police Department, Lennox Police Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol and K-9, South Dakota DCI, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, Sioux Falls Police Department and K-9, South Dakota Game Fish & Parks and Lincoln County Emergency Management all responded to the scene to help set up a perimeter.
Lincoln County Emergency Management and the Minnehaha County/Sioux Falls drone teams were able to successfully locate the suspect hiding in a slough. Officers were able to take the male into custody without incident.
Upon further investigation of the scene and evidence, Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Swensen said it is believed the suspect was caught in the act of breaking into cars by homeowners. They confronted the suspect and the suspect fired multiple rounds from a handgun. The suspect then fled to a nearby residence and entered their back deck. It is believed the suspect fired more rounds toward neighboring houses from that deck. The homeowner heard the shots from his deck and confronted the suspect. The suspect then fired a round at this homeowner. The suspect fled the scene and ran into an adjacent slough.
Officers were eventually able to locate the gun as well as other pieces of evidence in the slough. The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Colton Nichols of Sioux Falls, SD. Nichols was transported to the Minnehaha County Jail and lodged on charges of Attempted 1st Degree murder, commission of a felony while armed, discharge of a firearm at an occupied structure, aggravated assault x 2, possession of controlled substance. Nichols is currently on parole in South Dakota and he will appear in front of a Lincoln County judge.
Sheriff Swenson said, “We would like to thank all the agencies that assisted us in successfully apprehending this suspect.”