In a tragic case of mistaken identity, 40-year-old Tracy Saboe, a White male, was shot and killed in his Sioux Falls, South Dakota home on Monday, June 29, 2020. The incident occurred when a man, seeking retaliation for an alleged assault on a family member, broke into what he believed was the perpetrator's house.
It was the wrong home.
After a brief confrontation with the intruder, Saboe was fatally shot once in the head. His wife discovered his body later that evening.
The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Alton Ray Bear, then proceeded to the correct address where he shot and wounded three other individuals. All of those victims were expected to recover.
Police were able to connect the two shootings through the use of the same 9mm handgun in all four instances. Bear was apprehended by authorities about an hour after the second shooting. He was subsequently charged with murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, and being a felon in possession of a weapon, with the possibility of additional charges being filed. The investigation concluded that Tracy Saboe was an innocent victim, tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time, the unintended target of a violent act meant for someone else.
