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An exchange of gunfire during a Friday afternoon traffic stop near Lander left the driver of the vehicle mortally shot and a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper wounded.
The injured trooper was …
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An exchange of gunfire during a Friday afternoon traffic stop near Lander left the driver of the vehicle mortally shot and a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper wounded.
The injured trooper was released from the hospital on Saturday and is expected to make a full recovery.
The trooper had conducted a traffic stop around 3:26 p.m. Friday, near the intersection of Sinks Canyon Road and Goodrich Drive, according to a statement from the agency.
“Moments into the stop, the trooper and suspect exchanged gunfire,” the statement reads.
“The trooper was injured, and the suspect is deceased.”
“The details of the investigation are still emerging,” noted WHP, adding that the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation will be conducting the investigation as the standard operating procedure for any shootings involving a WHP officer.
Personnel from the Lander Police Department, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, WHP, and DCI remained on scene for several hours near a roadside home near the Goodrich intersection. The Riverton Police Department also responded. The Sinks Canyon Road and Goodrich entrances were blocked, either with signs, patrol vehicles or both.
Unofficial sources indicated that the trooper’s injury was serious but nonfatal.
“I am concerned about the health of the officer, and I hope he gets better soon,” said Fremont County Attorney Patrick LeBrun. “As far as the specific facts of the case, I’m not able to comment, but I will at a later time.”
As the county’s elected prosecutor, LeBrun reviews DCI investigations into officer-involved shootings to determine whether they were justified.
Fremont County acting coroner Erin Ivie confirmed that a fatality had occurred but declined to release the individual’s name or age.
“We are working in conjunction with DCI,” she said, adding that Dr. Randall Frost, the county’s forensic pathologist, will be performing the autopsy.
The WHP had not identified the trooper before Ranger press time Saturday night.
This officer-involved shooting was the fourth in Fremont County since January 2019. The previous three occurred within Riverton city limits.
