RAPID CITY, S.D. — A Central States Fairgrounds employee who was critically injured in a June 7 shooting has died, authorities said Tuesday.
The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Paul “Pauly” Nebel died from injuries sustained in the shooting at the Central States Fairgrounds in Rapid City.
Investigators said Nebel was shot by another employee, identified as 58-year-old John Troy Lee of Rapid City. Authorities said Lee had been living in a camper on the fairgrounds property.
According to the sheriff’s office, preliminary findings indicate Nebel was addressing a personnel issue with Lee when the shooting occurred.
Law enforcement later located Lee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation the same day. Authorities said Lee exchanged gunfire with officers during an encounter there, resulting in his death and the injury of an Oglala Sioux Tribe police officer.
Officials expressed condolences to Nebel’s family, friends, and colleagues, as well as to the injured officer and law enforcement personnel involved in the response.
The Central States Fair organization said in a statement that Nebel, known to many as “Pauly,” was a longtime employee whose work touched nearly every part of the fairgrounds and its major events, including the Central States Fair and the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo.
The investigation remains ongoing.