First of 4 Defendants Plead Guilty to Attempted Murder in Lincoln County – Republic of Mitchell

CANTON, SD — A 24-year-old Sioux Falls man pleaded guilty to attempted murder after he and three others were involved in a shooting in April that left another man with a bullet in his brain.

During a plea hearing at the Lincoln County Courthouse on Monday, Oct. 28, Antonio Hacker pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder. He previously pleaded not guilty in June.

Hacker is one of four accused in the April attempted murder of 24-year-old Dylan James, who was 24 at the time. Two other defendants — Victor Rios and Danai Cha — have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to face a jury trial in December.

A fourth defendant, Rakim Fitzgerald, a Pennsylvania native, has not yet been arrested, according to court records.

The charges relate to about 10 p.m. on April 30 when a passerby found the Pontiac G6 in a ditch along 469th Avenue (Tea-Ellis Road) in rural Sioux Falls, about a quarter mile south of the intersection with 57th Street.

A civilian called 911, assuming a car accident, only to learn that James had been shot in the head. Court documents say James’ bullet entered his brain, but he was conscious and able to talk to authorities at a Sioux Falls hospital.

James initially told investigators he was being followed in a Toyota Corolla before he was shot by three masked men, but a juvenile in James’ car told police James began following the Corolla after its occupants stole marijuana.

Prosecutors say the two vehicles followed each other throughout Sioux Falls, but James ended the pursuit at 57th Street, turning south on 269th Street to drive away from the Corolla.

Somehow the Corolla supposedly ended up behind James’ G6 in 269th place. The juvenile allegedly told police that the Corolla passed the G6 and stopped in the roadway. When he was pulled over, the juvenile said Rios got out of the vehicle and shot James through the windshield.

The next morning, troopers with the South Dakota Highway Patrol found the Corolla disabled on the interstate and eventually tracked it to Hacker. During an interview at a Sioux Falls Walmart, Hacker denied involvement in the shooting.

Prosecutors say cellphone data collected from the phones of the four suspects placed each of them near where James was allegedly robbed and also near where he was shot. Surveillance video also confirmed the men’s involvement.

After warrants were obtained, Rios, Hacker and Cha were arrested. Fitzgerald has not yet been arrested.

After Hacker’s guilty plea, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. He will be sentenced on December 9.

Hunter, a native of South Dakota, joined Forum Communications as a reporter for the Mitchell (SD) Republic in June 2021 and now works as a digital reporter for Forum News Service.