FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, May 14, 2026
Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces a Watertown man has been sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison after earlier being convicted in an officer involved shooting that occurred Dec. 5, 2024 in the parking lot of the Yankton High School.
Andrew Jondahl, 41, was sentenced Wednesday in Yankton County Circuit Court. In Janaury, he was convicted by a Yankton County Circuit Court Jury on two felony counts of Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, and one misdemeanor count of Possession of a Firearm on Public Elementary or Secondary School Premises.
Prosecutors requested a prison sentence of 50 years in prison with 25 years suspended.
“I am committed to ensuring the safety of officers and the public,” said Attorney General Jackley. “When individuals put others at risk, I will pursue appropriate consequences to uphold accountability and protect those who serve our communities.”
The incident began when the Yankton Police Department was called to Yankton High School following a report that Jondahl was seated in a vehicle in the school parking lot with a firearm across his lap. He had been escorted from a school event, appeared to be intoxicated, was making threats of self-harm, and was believed to have had a long gun on his lap.
When Jondahl exited the vehicle, he was holding shotguns and facing the officers in a manner where he could have fired at the officers. Two officers discharged their firearms, firing a total of 14 .223-caliber rounds. Jondahl sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. No other injuries were reported.
The case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), which found the Officer Involved Shooting was justified and was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.
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