Former Centerville Mayor Arraign For Triple Homicide: According to a filed complaint, former Centerville mayor and city councilor Jay Edward Ostrem killed three victims on Monday, May 27, 2024, “with a premeditated design.” Ostrem, who previously served as a city councilor and mayor of Centerville in 2010, was booked into the Minnehaha County Jail on a $1 million cash-only bond. The South Dakota Attorney General’s Office reported that the incident occurred around 10 p.m. Monday at a residence in Centerville. Court documents indicate that at 9:44 p.m., a frantic man called 911, reporting that his family member had been shot and killed with a shotgun.
The caller identified the shooter as a man from across the street, who had returned to his house. While still on the phone, the caller revealed that he had also been shot before he stopped communicating with the dispatcher. When law enforcement arrived, they observed Ostrem leaving his house. Despite commands to stop, Ostrem continued walking west along Main Street. A Game, Fish and Parks officer who responded intercepted Ostrem and ordered him to get on the ground. Ostrem complied and informed the officer that he had a gun in his pocket.
Officers found an AR-style rifle on the ground near Ostrem, who was bleeding from his left hand and smelled of alcohol. In his pocket, they discovered a .380 handgun, spent shotgun shell casings, and at least one spent rifle casing. Inside the residence from which the 911 call originated, law enforcement found three people dead from apparent gunshot wounds. They then went to Ostrem’s house and contacted an adult family member of his. During an interview with DCI agents, the family member revealed that on Thursday, May 23, 2024, a neighbor had visited their house while Ostrem was sleeping. She stated that she and the neighbor had been drinking when he sexually assaulted her by forcibly kissing her, exposing himself, and pressing himself against her.
The family member recounted that she informed Ostrem about the assault on Monday while they were at home. She reported that upon hearing this, Ostrem “got up and went raging out of the house” without saying anything. She did not know where he went and did not see him again before law enforcement arrived. The family member mentioned that Ostrem was a former law enforcement officer with access to weapons in the home and possibly in his vehicle. South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating the case with assistance from other agencies. This is a developing story, and updates will be provided by KELOLAND News online and on-air.
