Suspect Died By Officer's Bullet in Evansville Standoff

It was a long day night that turned into a tragic morning when the Natrona County Sheriff's Office announced that the suspect in an Evansville standoff had died.

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29-year-old Blaine Clutter had barricaded himself inside of an Evansville residence on March 18, 2022. After a nearly 18-hour standoff, the Natrona County Sheriff's Office finally announced that the standoff was over.

"Tragically," they wrote, "one adult civilian was discovered deceased inside the residence. At this time the incident is no longer in an active status, however, officers will remain on scene for an extended amount of time. Some road closures should be open soon. The investigation is ongoing. Additional information will be released as it becomes available. We extend our condolences to the family of the deceased."

At first, details of the suspect's death were not released, but now Natrona County Coroner James Whipps has announced that Clutter died from a bullet wound to the chest that was not self-inflicted.

"He died from a single gunshot wound to the chest," Whipps told K2 Radio News. "It wasn't self-inflicted. It was the result of that ongoing shootout that was going on."

Whipps also revealed that the suspect did have traces of narcotics in his system, though that did not contribute to his death.

"The only other relevant thing is the toxicology report," Whipps said. "He did have some methamphetamine in his system, but that wasn't the killer. It was the gunshot wound."

Kiera Grogan, the Public Information Officer with the Natrona County Sheriff's Office has not yet responded to a request for comment, but we will update this story if a comment becomes available.

Typically in situations like these, officers are placed on a suspension until the investigation is complete, but there is no word yet on if that's the case in this situation.

Shortly after it was announced that Clutter had died, his father reached out to officers via social media to apologize for his son's actions and to thank them for putting themselves on the line.

"Attention," the post began. "I want to say sorry to all Law Enforcement Officers for my son [sic] actions during that stand off with him on Friday and Saturday. I'm thankful to God he didn't wound or kill any of you well you all where doing your job [sic]. So happy you all got to go home to your family. I talked to some very good hearted people in the Natrona County Sheriff Department that feeled [sic] me in on how it when [sic] down and ended. I'm very grateful you all tried your hardest to have him give his self [sic] up and surrender even though he was trying to hurt you all. May God always protect you all sincerely! Please people share this so it can hopefully reach the people intended for. My son's acting was way wrong no matter what mind set he was in. He was my son I will miss him. People that need help get it please."

K2 Radio News will update the developing story as more details become available.