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Authorities ID shooter, victim in weekend shooting at Sturgis bar

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Authorities identified the man injured in an Aug. 9 shooting in Sturgis as Joseph Patrick McGuire, 33, of Imperial Beach, Calif., and the shooter as Ronald Smith, 43, of Seattle, Wash.

The Seattle Police Department confirmed Sunday that one of its officers, who was vacationing at the rally with four fellow officers, was involved in the shooting at the Loud American Roadhouse bar shortly after 1 a.m. on Aug. 9.

According to The Associated Press, all five officers were relieved of duty pending an investigation by South Dakota authorities. The SPD sent a team of investigators to Sturgis to gather more information on the shooting. The vacationing officers have since returned to Washington, according to Seattle area media.

McGuire was identified by the Sturgis Police Department as a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. No arrests have been made so far in the case, according to Meade County State's Attorney Jesse Sondreal. Sondreal said McGuire's condition was stable.

Twenty-five witnesses spent seven hours Sunday testifying before a Meade County grand jury about what they saw during the shooting at the crowded Main Street bar. Sondreal said the investigation may continue until the grand jury convenes again on Aug. 27.

A grand jury investigation was the best way to handle any charges that may result from the shooting, he said.

"Given the magnitude, complexity and number of out-of-state witnesses in this case, this was the only logical venue for the next step in the process," he said.

Smith is a detective who works for the Seattle police Pawn Shop Squad and is a police guild board member. The officer also is known throughout the department as an avid motorcycle rider.

Seattle police declined to comment Monday on whether it was legal for Smith to have a gun on him in the Loud American Roadhouse, because he was off duty at the time.

The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004 would technically allow Smith to have a concealed weapon at any time and would supersede any laws regarding concealed weapons in South Dakota.

However, that act would not apply if Smith was intoxicated, which is information that authorities have not released.

There also is a clause in the act that mentions disciplinary action disqualifying an officer from carrying a gun, but Seattle Police declined to comment on whether Smith's past disciplinary record would disqualify him. The Seattle Post Intelligencer has reported that the police department disciplined for taunting fans at a football game and another time for allegedly threatening to shoot a restaurant manager who had asked him to leave.

South Dakota Attorney General's Office spokeswoman Sara Rabern said state authorities do not know yet if Smith would meet the requirements of the safety act.

The Post Intelligencer has reported that Seattle police union leaders believe a videotape taken at the scene will exonerate Smith of any wrongdoing in the altercation.

"I think it's going to be pretty evident that the officer was fearful of his safety and life and that's why he had to fire," Sgt. Rich O'Neill, president of the Seattle Police Officers' Guild told the newspaper.

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