Paul Randal Nebel, 50, was shot at the Central States Fairgrounds in Rapid City on the morning of Sunday, June 7, 2026, while handling a personnel issue with another employee. Reports state he died two days later, on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Monument Health in Rapid City, surrounded by loved ones.

Nebel, known around the fairgrounds as Pauly, had served as maintenance manager since 2018 and was described by the fairgrounds as a friend, mentor, problem solver, and trusted coworker. The suspected shooter was identified as 58-year-old John Troy Lee of Rapid City, who had been living in a camper on the fairgrounds property. Lee fled after the shooting and was later located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where officers say he shot and wounded an Oglala Sioux Tribe police officer before officers returned fire and killed Lee at the scene. The officer’s injuries were reported as non-life-threatening.

Authorities described a multiagency investigation in the immediate aftermath. Nebel is survived by his wife Jennifer Miller-Nebel; daughter Kennedy; bonus daughters Allison Green and Skylar Green; his mother Leanne Weelborg; brothers Keith and Rick Nebel; and extended family and friends. A celebration of life was scheduled at the James Kjerstad Event Center on the Central States Fairgrounds, with additional services in Watertown.

Did anyone at the fairgrounds know about tensions or the personnel issue before the shooting and can share details?