K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For July 24th, 2018 – Morning

TWO CASPER POLICE OFFICERS HAVE CLEARED IN THE DEADLY EXCHANGE OF GUNFIRE IN MAY THAT LEFT ONE MAN DEAD, AND AN OFFICER IN GRAVE CONDITION.
THAT JUDGEMENT WAS REPORTED IN A LETTER FROM NATRONA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY MIKE BLONIGEN TO THE SPECIAL AGENT FOR THE WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF INVESTIGATION. BLONIGEN CONCLUDED THAT OFFICERS JACOB CARLSON AND RANDI GARRETT ACTED PROPERLY AND THE RESULTING SHOOTOUT WAS INSTIGATED WITHOUT CAUSE BY DAVID WOLOSIN, WHO DIED IN THE EXCHANGE.
THE LETTER INDICATES THAT ON MAY 5TH AT ABOUT 1:30PM, THE POLICE GOT A COMPLAINT THAT A 7-YEAR-OLD CHILD WAS DRIVING A CAR ON A VACANT LOT NEAR THE CORNER OF FAIRDALE AND FARNUM.
OFFICER GARRETT RESPONDED AND FOUND THAT TO BE THE CASE, AND DAVID WOLOSIN IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WITH TWO CHILDREN IN THE SMALL, WHITE SEDAN.
HER VIDEO SHOWS WOLOSIN ON A CELL PHONE, AND THE INTERACTION SEEMS NORMAL WHEN OFFICER CARLSON ARRIVES. IN HER REPORT, OFFICER GARRETT SAYS SHE HEARD WOLOSIN SAYING SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF “…THEY’RE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO SHOOT ME.”
SHORTLY AFTER CARLSON ARRIVES, FOR NO APPARENT REASON, WOLOSIN IS SEEN BACKING AWAY FROM THE CAR, AND AS OFFICER CARLSON REACHES FOR HIM, BEGINS TO PULL A GUN FROM HIS POCKET. HE SHOOTS CARLSON IMMEDIATELY, AND THE OFFICER RETURNS FIRE. THE OFFICERS DUCKED BEHIND THE CAR AND THE EXCHANGE CONTINUED.
IT IS REPORTED THAT WOLOSIN FIRED ABOUT 15 ROUNDS, HITTING CARLSON 4 TIMES. OFFICER CARLSON SHOT 8 TIMES, HITTING WOLOSIN IN THE LEG. OFFICER GARRETT FIRED ONLY ONCE, HITTING WOLOSIN IN THE CHEST AND KILLING HIM.
THE DCI INVESTIGATION COULD NOT FIND ANY CONCRETE MOTIVE FOR WOLOSIN’S ACTIONS. HE HAD NO SIGNIFICANT CRIMINAL RECORD, NO HISTORY OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND NO ALCOHOL OR DRUGS IN HIS SYSTEM.
BLONIGEN CONCLUDED FROM THE REPORT THAT THE OFFICER’S ACTIONS WERE FULLY JUSTIFIED.
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CASPER POLICE OVER THE WEEKEND ARRESTED A MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY TRIED TO BURN DOWN A HOUSE WHILE TWO ADULTS AND THREE YOUNG CHILDREN WERE INSIDE.

26-YEAR-OLD HARLEY JAY BUSHNELL WAS BOOKED INTO JAIL ON A RECOMMENDED CHARGE OF ATTEMPTED AGGRAVATED FIRST-DEGREE ARSON.

ACCORDING TO AN AFFIDAVIT FILED IN THE CASE, POLICE OFFICERS RESPONDED TO AN APARTMENT BUILDING IN CASPER SHORTLY AFTER 11 P.M. SATURDAY AFTER SOMEONE CALLED 911 AND REPORTED THAT BUSHNELL WAS TRYING TO SET THE BUILDING ON FIRE BY POURING GASOLINE EVERYWHERE.

THE VICTIM TOLD POLICE THAT BUSHNELL IS HER ESTRANGED DOMESTIC PARTNER AND FATHER TO HER THREE CHILDREN. BUSHNELL ALLEGEDLY WALKED UP THE STEPS TO HER APARTMENT WITH A SMALL GAS CAN, THEN PROCEEDED TO POUR GASOLINE ON HER FRONT PORCH AND WINDOW AREA.

SHE REPORTEDLY SAW A FLASH AND HEARD THE SOUND OF A LIGHTER BEING STRUCK BEFORE BUSHNELL LEFT THE AREA. POLICE NOTED THAT THE FRONT ENTRANCE, WHERE THE GASOLINE WAS FOUND, WAS THE ONLY WAY OUT OF THE BUILDING.

A DETECTIVE OBSERVED THAT THE VICTIM'S PHONE HAD RECEIVED A TEXT MESSAGE FROM THE CONTACT LABELED "HARLEY." THAT MESSAGE STATED, "FINE YOUR HOUSE IS GETTING BURNED DOWN RIGHT NOW."

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK HAS DECLARED THE PARKWIDE FIRE DANGER LEVEL IS NOW HIGH, UP FROM MODERATE JUST A FEW DAYS AGO.

MEANWHILE, A NEW WILDLAND FIRE HAS STARTED NEAR THE PARK BORDER IN MONTANA.

THE PARK SAID MONDAY THERE ARE NO FIRE RESTRICTIONS.

BUT PARK OFFICIALS AGAIN REMINDED VISITORS THAT CAMPFIRES ARE ONLY PERMITTED IN FIRE RINGS AT CAMPGROUNDS AND SOME BACKCOUNTRY CAMPSITES.

CAMPFIRES MUST BE EXTINGUISHED AND COLD TO TOUCH AFTER USE.

NEAR THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE PARK, THE LIGHTNING-IGNITED BACON RIND FIRE IS BURNING IN THE LEE METCALF WILDERNESS AREA IN THE CUSTER GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST.

THE FIRE WAS DETECTED ABOUT 8 P.M. FRIDAY AND CONTINUES TO BURN ABOVE THE GALLATIN CANYON ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH OF BIG SKY, MONTANA

ON MONDAY, THE FIRE WAS ABOUT TWO MILES WEST OF U.S. HIGHWAY 191 BETWEEN BACON RIND AND SNOWSLIDE CREEKS.

THE FIRE, WHICH WAS IN A 60-ACRE PERIMETER, WAS NOT THREATENING THE HIGHWAY, BUT SMOKE WAS VISIBLE FROM THE HIGHWAY.

LIKEWISE, THE FIRE WAS NOT THREATENING ANY STRUCTURES.
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A WOMAN WHO WAS TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OVER THE WEEKEND OF A STEAM LOCOMOTIVE WAS STRUCK AND KILLED AFTER GETTING TOO CLOSE TO THE TRACKS IN NORTH SUBURBAN DENVER.
THE 15-CAR UNION PACIFIC TRAIN WAS RETURNING TO DENVER ON SATURDAY EVENING FROM A DAYLONG TRIP TO CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS WHEN THE WOMAN WAS HIT AT A CROSSING IN HENDERSON AT ABOUT 7:45 P.M.

THE VICTIM WAS AMONG SEVERAL PEOPLE TAKING PHOTOS OF THE TRAIN AS IT TRAVELED BACK TO DENVER. HER NAME HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED.

ABOUT 700 PASSENGERS WERE ON THE TRAIN WHOSE ANNUAL TRIP TO CHEYENNE FOR THE PARADE AND RODEO IS SPONSORED BY THE DENVER POST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION. NO OTHER INJURIES WERE REPORTED.

THE PASSENGERS WERE BUSED BACK TO DENVER.

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DESPITE A RAINY START TO THIS YEAR'S CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS, IT LOOKS LIKE THE U.S. AIR FORCE THUNDERBIRDS WILL BE ABLE TO FLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

A LOW CLOUD CEILING FORCED THE CANCELLATION OF LAST YEAR'S AIR SHOW, BUT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGIST CHAD HAHN DOESN'T EXPECT THE WEATHER TO GROUND THIS YEAR'S PERFORMANCE.
"WE'RE NOT PROVIDING THAT INFORMATION DIRECTLY TO THEM, BUT FROM WHAT WE SEE FROM AN AVIATION CONDITION STANDPOINT IT LOOKS LIKE WEDNESDAY MORNING WILL BE GOOD."​

HAD THE SHOW BEEN SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, HAHN SAYS IT LIKELY WOULD HAVE BEEN CANCELLED.