Casper Hospital Shooter To Complete Boot Camp, Seek Probation

The Casper man sentenced to prison for walking into Wyoming Medical Center and firing a handgun at multiple people is set to graduate boot camp, and Wyoming Department of Corrections staff have submitted a letter to a judge on his behalf requesting that he be granted probation.

Mitchell Darin Taylor received a 6-to-9-year prison sentence in November for the March 2019 shooting at Wyoming Medical Center. Specifically, he received two 6 to 9-year sentenced for two aggravated assault convictions in addition to a 1 to 2-year sentence for felony property destruction.

In the letter signed by Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp officials, boot camp staff detail Taylor's progress from when he first entered the program to his upcoming graduation on July 2.

According to the letter, Taylor took responsibility for his actions.

"On the night of March 3, 2019 and early morning of March 4, 2019, I took a high dose of LSD. I drove to the hospital, went inside and got lost inside of a restricted area," Taylor wrote. "I pulled out my firearm shortly before my first victim, Amy deskins, walked past me and in response I raised my weapon towards her. Soon after this, I began firing several shots oth directly in front of me and down a hallway to my right.

"It was down the same hallway that my second victim, Paul Bettinger, had been standing. After several shots, I set my firearm down and wandered until I was found and arrested."

During his time at boot camp, which began in January, Taylor progressed through a color-coded system going from green, orange, blue and gold. With each progression, Taylor had to write a letter detail his progress and struggles.

For the most part, Taylor seemed to smoothly make his way through the program with a few minor hiccups.

"Mr. Taylor's strengths in this program have been his ability to adapt to the discipline of boot camp," his boot camp staff wrote. "The biggest obstacle has been overthinking things presented to him."

Regarding his progress from blue to gold — the final step in the program — Taylor's counselors wrote that they were concerned with Taylor's "ability to just burn through this program, versus the person on the streets who was able to commit the current offense."

Ultimately, corrections staff have recommended that Taylor be permitted to enter the Interstate Compact Offender Tracking System in Las Vegas. If he is not placed on the compact, he should be placed on supervised probation in Wyoming, the department of corrections wrote.

Natrona County District Court Judge Daniel Forgey will rule on the modification during a hearing set to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday.