Man Killed In Shootout With Thermopolis Police Officer Identified

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation has identified Buck Laramore, 33, as the man who exchanged gunfire with Thermopolis Police Department Sgt. Mike Mascorro on Friday. Mascorro was wounded and Laramore died.

CM
Clair McFarland

May 03, 20231 min read

Thermopolis Police car 4 29 23
(Thermopolis Police Department via Facebook)

Update: The Hot Springs County Coroner publicly identified the decedent Buck Laramore the day after DCI did, in a May 4 email to Cowboy State Daily.

The man who died Friday in a shootout with police in Thermopolis has been identified as 33-year-old Buck Laramore, authorities say.

Thermopolis Police Department Sgt. Mike Mascorro contacted Buck Laramore at a residence at 1225 Canyon Hills Road at around noon Friday to investigate a crime that had happened earlier that day, according to a Wednesday statement by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.

Laramore soon produced a weapon, DCI reports, and shot and wounded Mascorro.

Mascorro returned fire, resulting in Laramore's death.

Emergency responders took Mascorro to the hospital to be treated for multiple wounds, the statement says.

An investigation into the altercation is ongoing.

The Hot Springs County attorney will review the investigation once DCI has completed it and determine whether Mascorro's use of force was justified. Under Wyoming law, all people have the right to use defensive force when they have a reasonable belief that doing so is necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury to themselves or someone else.

Authors

CM

Clair McFarland

Crime and Courts Reporter