The South Dakota attorney general who hit a man with his car told a 911 dispatcher 'it could be' a deer, call recording shows

• The state of South Dakota released audio of a 911 call and a toxicology report as part of an investigation into the Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg's fatal car crash last month.
• Local authorities previously stated the attorney general actually hit a man when he had initially told authorities he hit a deer.
• When the first responder asked Ravnsborg if he had hit a "Deer or something," he responded that "I have no idea. I mean, It could be," according to the disclosed 911 call report.

South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg told a 911 dispatcher "it could be" that he hit a deer when he had actually struck a man with his car, newly released call recordings show.

The audio was released Tuesday, as South Dakota Governor Kristin Noem and Public Safety Secretary Craig Price gave an update on the investigation into Ravnsborg's fatal car crash in September, giving the public access to the audio and transcript of his 911 call, as well as toxicology reports.

In September, local authorities reported that although Ravnsborg initially told authorities he thought he hit a deer with his car, he was actually involved in a car crash that killed 55-year-old pedestrian Joseph Boever.

In the phone call recording and transcript released Tuesday, Ravnsborg identified himself as the state attorney general to the 911 dispatcher. He said he "hit something."

When the dispatcher asked, "Do you think it was a deer or something?" Ravnsborg replied: "I have no idea. I mean, It could be. It was right in the roadway."

Ravnsborg did not say that he had hit a man. The South Dakota Highway Patrol didn't find out about Boever's death until the following morning.

The state also released toxicology reports, which showed no sign of drugs or alcohol in Ravnsborg's body.

To avoid a conflict of interest, investigators in North Dakota and South Dakota have been jointly investigating the crash, and what Ravnsborg told police, over the past month. Price said in Tuesday's press conference that the investigation was slowed because of the need for travel between the two states, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. His update on the ongoing investigation comes roughly a month since the crash.

Ravnsborg has continued with his role as state attorney general since the incident.

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