A LEGISLATIVE COMMEMORATION, Honoring Rapid City police officers Nick Armstrong and James Ryan McCandless for making the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty and commending police officer Tim Doyle for his bravery and service to the Rapid City community.

WHEREAS, August 2, 2021, marks the ten-year anniversary of the tragic incident in which police officers Nick Armstrong and James Ryan McCandless were fatally shot during a routine police stop in Rapid City. The event that took the lives of Armstrong and McCandless shocked and saddened both the Rapid City community and the citizens of South Dakota. Armstrong and McCandless were the first Rapid City police offers killed in the line of duty since 1916; and

WHEREAS, Armstrong, a two-year veteran of the Rapid City Police Department, and McCandless, a six-year veteran, were dedicated and selfless public servants. They protected their community with honor and were deeply loved by family, friends, and colleagues. The years of grief and loss of the families of Armstrong and McCandless should be recognized; and

WHEREAS, Tim Doyle, also a Rapid City police officer injured during the incident, should be commended for his bravery in the line of duty and for his continued service to the Rapid City community:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT COMMEMORATED, by the Ninety-Sixth Legislature of the State of South Dakota, that Nick Armstrong and James Ryan McCandless be honored and remembered for selflessly giving their lives in the line of duty.