Minnehaha County Deputy Katherine Frank died Monday after being shot during a confrontation at a Sioux Falls home on Friday night, the sheriff’s office said. She was 26 and had spent three days in critical condition, according to the report.
Authorities said Frank and the suspect were treated at the scene and then taken to hospitals. The sheriff’s office described her death as a loss to the agency and the surrounding law enforcement community. It also said Frank became an organ donor.
Brandon John Oetken, 39, of Sioux Falls, was charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. The source also reported that county jail records list a felony charge of disarming a law enforcement officer. Oetken remained in custody without bond as of Tuesday morning, according to the report.
It was not clear whether prosecutors would add charges following Frank’s death. The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating at the sheriff’s office’s request. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said investigators would review the use of force and that a public report was expected within 30 days.
The sheriff’s office said Frank began working at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in September 2022 and joined the county sheriff’s office in June 2024. The report said the shooting was the fifth involving law enforcement officers in South Dakota this year, citing the attorney general’s office.
