A Campbell County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a suspect in a shootout Sunday night after the suspect fired a shotgun at the deputy in his cruiser, authorities say.
The deputy wasn’t hurt, Campbell County Sheriff Scott Matheny told Cowboy State Daily in a Monday phone interivew. But the suspect was killed when the deputy returned fire.
The call for service came in at 9:23 Sunday night, a reported domestic disturbance on Lawver Road near Wright, Wyoming.
A woman who had reported the incident and had been trying to get out of the house was still on the phone with dispatch when a deputy arrived on the scene, Matheny said.
The woman heard what she described as a warning shot.
A later review of the scene would reveal that the deputy’s windshield had been blasted by a shotgun on the drive’s side, Matheny said.
“(The deputy) was himself fired upon by one of the parties of the domestic abuse — the male half,” said the sheriff.
The deputy returned fire, and the suspect was pronounced dead on scene, Matheny said.
As is standard procedure, the deputy is on administrative leave with pay until the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation finishes investigating the officer-involved shooting, said Matheny. It is the DCI’s duty now to finish a report on the incident and forward it to the Campbell County Attorney or an appointee to determine whether the deputy’s response was justified.
Matheny extended his condolences to all involved.
Campbell County Coroner Paul Wallem declined to identify the suspect, a 55-year-old man, pending notification of his next of kin.
The driver's side of this Cambpell County Sheriff's Office patrol car shows where the windshield took a shotgun blast from a suspect on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. The deputy wasn't hurt, but the suspect was killed. (Campbell County Sheriff's Office) 
The driver's side of this Cambpell County Sheriff's Office patrol car shows where the windshield took a shotgun blast from a suspect on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. The deputy wasn't hurt, but the suspect was killed. (Campbell County Sheriff's Office)
When I Saw That Photo
Matheny was fine when he got the call Sunday night, and fine as he went through the standard procedures until after midnight, he said.
But when he saw photographs of the pellet-riddled windshield Monday morning, he became emotional, he said.
“He was so close to dying last night — the officer. Just lucky,” said Matheny.
The evidence indicates that the woman who called in the domestic disturbance had been punched in the face, he said. Her eye was swollen shut.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
