Casper Police Shoot, Kill Man At Convenience Store on CY Avenue
The case of a man who was shot and killed by a Casper Police officer in west Casper on Tuesday morning has been turned over to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, according to a news release from the city manager's office.
The incident started at 5:37 a.m. when the Public Safety and Communication Center received multiple 911 calls from the 500 block of Granite Drive in east Casper where callers reported a male subject had pointed a firearm at several people.
Casper Police immediately responded, but learned the suspect fled the area in a late-model silver sports car.
Officers learned from interviews that the suspect, who has yet to be identified, indeed had threatened people by pointing a gun at them.
At 5:46 a.m., law enforcement located the car, but he again escaped from officers.
Half an hour later, the vehicle was seen in Evansville.
Law enforcement began to chase the car as it re-entered Casper, traveling west at a high rate of speed on East Second Street toward downtown.
Police department supervisors told officers to not chase the vehicle because the driver was placing the public in danger.
At 6:31 a.m., an off-duty Natrona County Sheriff's deputy reported the suspect vehicle was parked at the Loaf 'N Jug store at CY Avenue and Kit Carson.
A police officer immediately responded and arrived within a minute.
When he got there, he contacted the suspect who had a gun and shots were exchanged.
The suspect was seriously injured and medical personnel tried to save him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
No officers were hurt during the incident.
The Casper Police Department asked the DCI to investigate the incident, and they will ultimately release the results to the Natrona County District Attorney's Office.
No one else was injured during the event, and there is no threat to the public on Parade Day and related activities, according to the press release.
This marked the third Casper Police officer-involved fatal shooting this year.
On Feb. 26, two officers confronted a man, Douglas One Year, who was wielding a sword and approaching them in East 15th Street in east Casper. The DCI investigated that case, and the Natrona County District Attorney's Office cleared the officers.
On May 6, two officers went to the area of Fairdale Park for a report of a man driving with two children in a vacant lot. When they spoke to him, he drew a gun and shot at them. Officers responded and killed David Wolosin.
Officer Jacob Carlson was gravely injured in the shooting, and was released from the Wyoming Medical Center a month later. The DCI continues to investigate this case.