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[{"type":"text","text":"Everyone should try this at least once...."}]

Bonus vid 1 8 26 24

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>Bonus Video 1: Monday, August 26, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Everyone should try this at least once....

Bonus Video 1: Monday, August 26, 2024

 Everyone should try this at least once....

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily reporter, Dale Killingbeck

Dale Killingbeck

Crime & Courts

CASPER — A 21-year-old Casper man accused of grabbing a 

 and biting him in the groin pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Natrona County District Court on Tuesday.

Sylvester Jakeson Seaton appeared before Judge Kerri Johnson for his arraignment with defense attorney Marty Scott. He told the judge that he had dyslexia but had read the affidavit containing the charges against him “only about 20 times.”

Johnson went over the charges that include three counts of felony interference with a peace officer stemming from injuries he allegedly inflicted on two Casper police officers and one count of misdemeanor interference for his actions impeding their investigation on April 19. 

Seaton said he understood the charges and potential penalties. Johnson asked how he would plead to the charges.

“Not guilty,” he said. “I would request all body cam footage.”

Scott asked the judge to reduce Seaton’s bond from $50,000 cash or surety to $20,000 cash or surety. He said his client only has a minor criminal history.

Natrona County Assistant District Attorney Pat LeBrun argued that the bond should remain where it is and that Seaton’s previous charge also involved interference with a police officer.

“He employed a rather extreme level of violence,” LeBrun said. “The affidavit indicates a significant danger to the community.”

Scott countered and told the judge he believed there were “some mental health issues” with his client.

Johnson ruled that the bond was appropriate where it was set.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The Background"}]

Charges against Seaton stem from a call to 911 about 10 p.m. on April 19 regarding a disturbance in the 1400 block of Kearny Avenue in Casper. A woman reported that she was hearing “yelling, screaming,” and things breaking in a nearby back yard.

Arriving officers were told by a resident that people living in a small camper in his back yard were causing the disturbance. He gave officers permission to investigate.

When officers approached the camper, they saw two men and one woman inside. A 26-year-old man inside the camper was seen pulling a box cutter from his pocket, opening the blade, and crouching on the floor near the door of the camper, a police affidavit states.

A 20-year-old woman opened the camper door and closed it behind her. An officer told her he saw the man with the box cutter, the affidavit states. She told the man to drop the weapon, and when she opened the door again officers saw the man bleeding from his left arm.

“(The man) advised he cut himself to see if his knife was still sharp,” the affidavit states. The arm was bleeding significantly.

One of the officers then addressed Seaton, who appeared “dazed,” “confused,” and “possibly intoxicated.”

As one officer dealt with the bleeding man, Seaton got up and tried to leave the camper. Still trying to determine if the bleeding man was a victim or needed medical attention, officers instructed Seaton not to walk away.

The affidavit states instead Seaton approached one of the officers and to de-escalate the situation Seaton was put in handcuffs despite his “actively” resisting and trying to pull away and escape.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Continued To Fight"}]

When Seaton continued to fight, he was placed on the ground while the other man and woman were in the camper and could be observed. 

Despite police commands and requests to “relax,” Seaton continued rolling on the ground resisting and got his hands on one of the officer’s testicles and was able to “grab them away” from the officer’s body, the affidavit states

The officer pulled away, but Seaton allegedly kept hold of his testicles and pants, while at the same time biting the shin of the officer’s partner “breaking the skin” and causing bruising.

Meanwhile, Seaton was struck in the face twice by the officer whose testicles he held, which was “effective” in getting the 21-year-old to let go.

Additional officers arrived to help control Seaton on the ground in preparation for putting him in a full-body restraint system. 

Seaton continued to fight and roll on the ground and maneuvered his head and mouth to the groin area of the same officer whose testicles he had grabbed.

“(Seaton) bit (the officer) in the upper right groin area ripping (the officer’s) pants and causing an abrasion in the inner groin that broke the skin and caused bleeding,” the affidavit states.

The officer said it felt like he had been stabbed in the groin and he hit Seaton again in the face, which made Seaton roll away to his other side where he appeared to try to bite other officers, the affidavit states.

Officers finally gained control of Seaton and he was placed in a restraint. 

Both officers involved were treated by Banner Wyoming Medical Center for their injuries.

All three felony interference charges stemming from biting the shin of one officer and pulling the testicles and biting the groin of the other each carry a potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The misdemeanor interference charge is punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Testicle grab man 6 9 26

<title>Casper Man Pleads Not Guilty To Yanking Police Officer’s Testicles, Biting Groin | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A 21-year-old Casper man pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to grabbing and repeatedly pulling on a police officer’s testicles, biting his groin, and biting another officer. The three felony charges each carry a potential of 10 years in prison.

Casper Man Pleads Not Guilty To Yanking Police Officer’s Testicles, Biting Groin

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's managing editor, Greg Johnson.

Greg Johnson

Law Enforcement

Editor's note: Cowboy State Daily managing editor Greg Johnson is in Baggs and will update the story when new information is available.

— It was a busier-than-usual Monday at the Cowboy Inn Restaurant, Bar and Motel along Wyoming Highway 789 near the southern edge of town, which in this hamlet of 411 people near the Colorado border is about a two-minute drive from the northern end.

Across the highway, more than a dozen law enforcement vehicles were parked on the shoulder of the southbound lane. They represented nearly as many agencies from across central and southern Wyoming and northern Colorado.

They’ve all responded to a small, faded yellow, two-story apartment building that’s cordoned off with crime scene tape, along with a couple of nearby houses.

They’d been there since about noon, responding to reports of an 

 and a brief search for the suspect, according to a “shelter in place” order sent to area residents that said authorities were looking for an “active assailant.”

Before the Carbon County emergency services scanner went dark Monday, law enforcement personnel described the active shooter incident and manhunt, where at least one law enforcement officer was injured and a trooper’s car was “shot up.”

For Baggs Mayor Matthew Howell, that was the beginning of a long waiting game. He told Cowboy State Daily at about 7:15 p.m. Monday that his home is near the apartment building and that he wasn’t yet allowed back.

Earlier in the day, he described the situation to Cowboy State Daily simply as “it’s not good,” and declined to comment further, saying he wanted to wait until the initial investigation was over to know just what went down before possibly talking out of turn.

He reiterated that response later in the day and deferred further questions to investigators.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Hanging Out"}]

Howell was one of dozens hanging out near and in the Cowboy Inn parking lot throughout Monday afternoon and evening.

There was only one topic of conversation: whatever happened in that apartment and how unusual it is for a law enforcement response this heavy in their quiet, small town.

“Oh yeah, this is for sure the most exciting thing that’s happened in … I can’t remember,” said one longtime resident eating a burger and fries from the tailgate of a pickup.

Like most people Cowboy State Daily spoke with, she declined to give and name, but was friendly and upbeat while gazing across the highway with concern.

At about 7 p.m., the parade of law enforcement vehicles cordoning off the apartment property from the highway parted to make way for a large trailer with “Sweetwater County Bomb Squad” printed on it.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Initial Response"}]

By 9 p.m., there still hadn’t been any official reports about what happened or confirmation of the earlier emergency scanner traffic that reported an injured law officer.

That scanner traffic erupted at about 12:55 p.m. when a female dispatcher informed units that a “lady” had called to report a man emerged from a home near or about 49 West Cedar Street.

“He came out of the house with a long gun, fired a shot, and now he’s walking around trying to get into an apartment,” the female dispatcher related from the caller’s report. “RP (reporting party) says he has tactical equipment on.”

The male had red hair, a mustache, no shirt, and green camo pants, the dispatcher related. She’d later add from a secondhand description that he had a fanny pack containing ammunition.

A Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper who called himself “132” said he was on his way.

“He’s gone into apartment No. 1, and now he came out and he’s heading back upstairs,” the dispatcher narrated.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The man still had a gun, she added."}]

The reports continued, relating that the man fled north in a pickup and at one point was “now shooting at the patrol vehicle.”

In the meantime, the bar at the Cowboy Inn was lively with chatter about the “active assailant” incident, mostly starting with, “I heard …” as officers and personnel from various sheriff’s and police departments filtered in and out.

By closing time — which in Baggs comes at 8:30 — the scene across the road hadn’t changed much.

Baggs Sweetwater County Bomb Squad arrives 6 8 26

<title>‘Active Assailant’ And Officer Shot Reports Has Baggs On Edge | Cowboy State Daily</title>

It was a busier-than-usual Monday at the Cowboy Inn along Wyoming Highway 789 near the southern edge of Baggs. Across the road is an apartment building where an “active assailant” incident began that included reports of an officer being shot.

‘Active Assailant’ And Officer Shot Reports Has Baggs On Edge

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Tuesday, June 9th.  I’m Mac Watson

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"–"}]

Before the Carbon County emergency services scanner went dark on Monday afternoon, law enforcement personnel described an active shooter incident and manhunt in Baggs. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports at least one law enforcement officer was injured and a trooper’s car was “shot up.”

“The man had emerged from a home in Baggs had fired a shot, and was trying to get into another apartment room in an apartment complex, and then he left that scene in a black truck. A trooper, a deputy, other law enforcement potentially started to converge. One officer reported that he was doing a traffic stop on the truck, and then we hear ‘Shots fired, shots fired!’ One deputy was taken to care after residents performed first aid, and then Trooper 132 as he was called on scanner traffic, said that his truck had been shot up.”

The public learned of the incident when Carbon County emergency services called for a shelter in place due to an active shooter situation.  As of Monday night, the status of the shooter was unconfirmed.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"– "}]

A downed power line is believed responsible for the Raven Creek Fire which has burned 3,900 acres of land in northeast Wyoming. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that Weston County Fire Warden Daniel Tysdal said they're experiencing “late-summer fire weather conditions and fire behavior.”

“Fire Warden Tisdale said that the fire itself is not a major concern, it's just a warning for what's to come. They're dealing with severe drought conditions, and they're seeing late summer fire patterns, and it's just the beginning of June. As of Monday afternoon, the fire is 100% contained. It burned about 3800 acres. I did talk to a local rancher family, and I could just say that their ranch family was hit by it. No livestock were injured, just a lot of fence was burned, and they are praying for rain.”

The blaze was started just days after the nearby Shipwheel Fire was started by lightning and burned 456 acres in the same corner of the county.

At a panel discussion on Saturday, Cheyenne leaders and industry officials said data centers are already helping stabilize electric rates and are opening new land for housing. But Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that skeptics still aren’t buying it.

“This has actually happened here in Cheyenne. Meta paid like a million bucks to run three miles of water and sewer lines to its center, so that they can, you know, provide the domestic water. They're on a closed loop system, but they still have restrooms for the employees and water for the break rooms and that kind of thing, and so they spent a million bucks to bring that three miles to their data center. Well, where housing developments in that area were economically unfeasible. So, you've kind of opened up this whole new place where development can come in, like housing or shopping, whatever, retail businesses, and that kind of thing.”

Cheyenne LEADS Executive Director Betsey Hale tells Cowboy State Daily that Cheyenne has 10 data centers already operating, five under construction, and nine more announced or in planning stages. Another 36 data center companies or site selectors have expressed some level of interest in Cheyenne or Laramie County,

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"},{"type":"italic"}],"text":"–  "}]

Big Horn County Search and Rescue had to rescue two German tourists after Google Maps got their rented Jeep stuck on a backcountry road. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that a Wyoming tow truck driver put it bluntly, “If you're going to be in the Bighorns, don't trust Google.”

“In Wyoming, a Google Maps directive can lead you down a dirt track road or to a road that's closed or that's only seasonally, seasonably open or seasonally open, and that's what these German tourists found out. The tourists were visiting Medicine Wheel, and Google Maps gave them a shortcut to get the shell, and as they're going down that shortcut, they realized that their vehicle was not the kind that they would want for that particular road. They turned around, they tried to get back to where they started, and then they lost two of the tires because of a sharp rock. They didn't go there by accident. Google Maps told them that that was a viable route, and they trusted Google Maps to get them from point A to point B.”

The pair was evacuated by BCSAR volunteers on ATVs that evening, but their Jeep Compass was stuck in the mountains until the tires could be replaced.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"italic"}],"text":"– "}]

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

A Cody river guide said his raft was nearly sunk by an electric fence wire strung too low across a river in Park County, while he was out on a float with his girlfriend and her young son on Sunday. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that Ryan Anue says the situation could have “gone bad fast.”

“They came across an electric wire that had been serving across the river, electric fencing wire, no big deal, they, you know, so they ducked into that, but then as soon as they popped up from under that one, they saw a second one was there, and the guy said that this one was kind of bowed down into the river a little bit, so they had to kind of go to one side, and when they did that, it caught on what they call a thigh brace, which is kind of like a metal brace that sticks up out of this inflatable raft. The guy said it was starting to drag the boat underwater, it was just total chaos.”

Everyone made it to safety, but as Ryan sees it, the manner in which the wire was strung over the river was hazardous and possibly illegal. He said that he reported it to the Park County Sheriff’s Office.

The State Land Board voted 3-2 Monday to pause its work to halt two controversial wind leases — until a court decides a major legal question on them. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Secretary of State Chuck Gray called it “irregular,” but Auditor Kristi Racines cast it as common sense.

“While the Wyoming Supreme Court decides a major legal question about one of the two similar leases, um, Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Superintendent Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder voted against it. Gray called the process irregular, but State Auditor Kristi Racines, who was among the three aye votes, along with the governor and the treasurer, said she basically cast it as a common sense move, like this isn't about being pro or anti win project, this is about giving the court some space rather than digging potentially a deeper hole, legal hole for ourselves.”

The board comprises Wyoming’s top five elected officials: Racines, Gray, Gov. Mark Gordon, Treasurer Curt Meier, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.

Oklahoma resident Les Vandever says he is still stunned after seeing a man charging into a herd of bison in Yellowstone. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that Vandever says “It was a moment of unbelievable stupidity.”

“This couple was driving in their vehicle, they pulled over, look at some bears, and they saw someone hop out of another vehicle and charge at a herd of bison, because they were crossing the road, and this person decided that was a good way to get them moving the way that he wanted them to go, or it was just something stupid he did impulsively in the moment. But the photos and their license plate were given to a Yellowstone Ranger. Maybe this guy was trying to be a wide receiver for the Ohio State Buckeyes because he was wearing an Ohio State shirt at the time, so who knows what the thought process is that goes behind that.”

Vandever tells Cowboy State Daily that he got clear photographs of the individual’s face and the vehicle’s license plate, which he’s since shared with a Yellowstone ranger.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"—"}]

Wyoming's own Brandon Nimmo was honored by the Texas Rangers on Sunday with his own bobblehead night. Cowboy State Daily Columnist Bill Sniffin was in Texas for the game and came away with a rare item.

“They had these bobble heads, and they made such a deal, I don't know whether Brandon Nimmo really did want to be a bull rider or not, but they, according to the Texas Rangers, he did, and so they put him on a bucking horse, and then they had rodeo clowns all over the stadium, and promoting it, and it was really special, and of course, he had a good night at the plate. He had a double, scored a run, and he also had some great catches out in right field, and it was very.. I felt really darn proud to be there, and I was wearing my Wyoming gold Wyoming cowboy hat. it isn't very often that Wyoming is the center of the universe in baseball.” 

Bill also reports that Brandon's 90-year-old grandpa threw out the first pitch. 

And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

News image 6 9 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Tuesday's headlines include:
* Shootout in Baggs
* Data Centers Lower Electricity?
* Stupid  Tourist Charges Bison Herd

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Dave Simpson

Opinion

CSD Columnists

“I have a question that perplexes me about Trump followers,” a regular reader of this column asked via email last week.

“What attracts you to him? I find nothing admirable in this man's character. Nothing in his bearing, personality or manner is appealing to me. Help me understand how this repulsive egomaniac captured you and all the rest of MAGA? This is a very sincere question.”

[{"type":"text","text":"OK, I'll take the bait."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"But, let me me start with this."}]

First off, Trump tends to talk longer than I'm willing to listen. I can't tell you the last time I sat through an entire Donald Trump speech. During his State of the Union Speech, I took numerous breaks, changing channels to watch “Gunsmoke.”

I know where he stands on the issues. And I cringe when he exaggerates a point, or praises himself, or demands praise from his staff. And I figure, “That's just Trump being Trump again. Gotta take the bad with the good.”

For years I've wished he'd tone it down, because I know how his enemies (the Democrats, the media) will bludgeon him with his own words.

I haven't read “The Art of the Deal.” I'm not an octagon fight fan. And sometimes I think he goes too far, like when he criticized Robert Mueller when he died. Trump seldom lets an opportunity to let something go unsaid, actually go unsaid.

Unlike most presidents, he loves jousting with reporters, and isn't afraid to call a dumb question a dumb question. But the vast majority of the media are so blatant in their distaste for the man that they deserve the roughing up.

He's the most accessible president of my lifetime, but he bites back.

That said, I'm 75 years old, and the actuarial tables tell me I probably won't be seeing more than one, maybe two more presidents. (My mother lived to be 99, so maybe more.)

I've seen enough of wishy-washy presidents who talk a great game, but end up just saying things people want to hear, weaseling out on tough calls (Iran), and not being that much different from the guy who came before (debt).

In Trump, I believe we've got a guy who is doing what desperately needs to be done, and he isn't afraid to knock over furniture in the process. I like that. He's unlike what has come before, and the steadfast defenders of what has come before will never forgive him for it.

From the very start, his opponents have done everything they can to defeat him, including multiple, sincere efforts to put him behind bars, and three attempts on his life. They oppose him on everything.

[{"type":"text","text":"And through it all, his appeal can be explained in one word:"}]

I believe the border with Mexico couldn't be more different today than it was during Joe Biden's tenure. I watch the news closely, and I saw Trump cut illegal entries from thousands per day to essentially none.

I saw us go from a president who claimed he couldn't stop the tidal wave of illegal immigrants without an act of Congress (an unreachable goal ever since Simpson-Mazzoli 40 years ago), to one who stopped it within days.

Without an act of Congress. By enforcing laws already on the books. Laws Joe Biden did not enforce.

In some traveling I did in college, I never encountered a country that didn't care about its borders. We must protect our borders as well. Abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the epitome of crazy, bankrupt Democrat thinking.

With the national debt approaching $40 trillion, something fundamental must change. So I supported DOGE's efforts to first cut out the outrageous spending – promoting circumcision in Africa, while controversial here, comes immediately to mind – and was saddened when Elon Musk's optimism was pecked to death by Democrat ducks, until he finally had to get back to running his businesses.

I appreciated Musk's focus on crazy waste, and I believe he saved us billions.

I think Trump has been right to say NATO nations have to pay their share of the cost of defending themselves, instead of leaving the heavy lifting to us.

I'm all for cutting red tape and over-regulation – a problem made shockingly obvious by California's pitiful efforts to rebuild Pacific Palisades. (Trump said get busy rebuilding. But Mayor Karen Bass knew that the bureaucracy beast must be fed.)

I think the ballroom – a need cited by some former presidents – is necessary, and I like Trump's effort to pay for much of it with private donations.

I think releasing Trump's tax returns was illegal, and despite all the hubbub over that $1.8 billion fund to compensate those targeted by the bureaucracy (since dropped, maybe), leaking Trump's tax returns should not go unpunished.

Inflation is up, for good reason as we pay more for gasoline to deal with the menace of a nuclear-armed Iran. But nowhere close to the 9 percent monthly inflation peak under Biden.

I could go on. But, in answer to my email friend's question, that's some of what I find appealing about Trump.

Despite all the hatred and name calling, he's getting some good results. It's about results, not personality.

[{"type":"text","text":"I don't love everything about Trump."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"But, you guys HATE everything about him."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Even the good stuff."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Our bench is deep. Your party has never looked worse."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"I rest my case, Your Honor."}]

Dave Simpson can be contacted at DaveSimpson145@hotmail.com

Dave simpson head 10 3 22

<title>Dave Simpson: Never-Trumper Guy Wants An Explanation | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Columnist Dave Simpson writes, "Despite all the hatred and name calling, he's getting some good results. It's about results, not personality. I don't love everything about Trump. But, you guys HATE everything about him. Even the good stuff."

Dave Simpson: Never-Trumper Guy Wants An Explanation

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

Before the Carbon County emergency services scanner went dark at around 3:30 p.m. Monday, the dispatchers, officers, deputies and troopers on it described an 

 and manhunt in which at least one law enforcement officer was injured and a Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper’s car was “shot up.”

The saga ended with scanner reports saying the fleeing truck had come to a stop, and one person was dead inside it. 

Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken announced via press release late Monday evening that the shooter died on scene. 

"The subject opened fire on the initial responding deputy, striking him several times," the statement reads.

"The suspect fled the scene in a small truck.  Additional responding deputies and troopers with the Wyoming Highway Patrol engaged in a pursuit with the suspect vehicle on Highway 789 north of Baggs. 

"The suspect opened fire on law enforcement again before driving off the highway and coming to a stop. The suspect was declared deceased at the scene. 

"The wounded deputy was transported to a medical facility in Colorado by Intermountain Air Ambulance."

[{"type":"text","text":"How It Unfolded"}]

The public learned of the incident when Carbon County emergency services called for a shelter in place due to an active shooter situation around 1 p.m. 

Scanner traffic erupted at about that time, when a female dispatcher informed units that a “lady” had called to report a man emerged from a home near or about 49 West Cedar Street, Baggs. That's across the road from the mayor's home. 

The man "came out of the house with a long gun, fired a shot, and now he’s walking around trying to get into an apartment,” the female dispatcher related from the caller’s report. “RP (reporting party) says he has tactical equipment on.”

A Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper who called himself “132” said he was on his way.

“He’s gone into apartment number one, and now he came out and he’s heading back upstairs,” the dispatcher narrated.

[{"type":"text","text":"The man still had a gun, she added."}]

“He’s getting into a small black truck at this time,” said the dispatcher. Male officers, troopers or deputies pressed the dispatcher for a better description of the truck, and after several minutes personnel said it was reportedly a Toyota Tacoma.

The man headed north through Baggs. The caller didn’t know his name or who he was, the dispatcher said.

One male law enforcement officer said one of the officers was stopping the vehicle.

“Subject is now shooting at the patrol vehicle,” said a male voice on the scanner.

Personnel called in night shift deputies or troopers. They asked for help from Moffat County Colorado, which reportedly later sent two drones along with other help. They asked for a special response team from the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.

“It appears one of the apartments is on fire,” said the dispatcher at about 1:18 p.m. Eyewitnesses in Baggs said the fire was related to the shooting and chase. 

Traffic indicated at some point the fleeing black truck turned back south. 

The town clerk told personnel, reportedly, that shooting sounds resounded “up on the hill south of Baggs,” said a male officer.

One man asked if law enforcement personnel had heard from a deputy called “66.”

[{"type":"text","text":"“That is negative,” answered the dispatcher."}]

Later someone on the scanner said that residents of the area were “applying aid to 66” and that “66 is down,” while the suspect had fled northward in the black Tacoma.

The sheriff’s evening statement says the suspect opened fire and struck the deputy several times. The deputy was flown to care in Colorado. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Multiple parties on the scanner coordinated medical personnel responses."}]

At 1:29 p.m. a male trooper or other officer shouted, “Shots fired! Shots fired! He’s shooting at – “

[{"type":"text","text":"“He’s right there,” an agent added after a brief silence. "}]

[{"type":"text","text":"What Trooper 132 Saw"}]

Around this time the scene was unfolding around mile marker 40 on Highway 789.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Shots fired!” said a male voice again."}]

“He hit my windshield,” said a male voice that sounded like the trooper called 132. “Getting water, he hit my tire.”

An active shooter manhunt unfolded Monday in Baggs where one deputy was injured and the shooter died on scene, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken confirmed late Monday. The sheriff said the suspect opened fire on law enforcement before driving off a highway.

Bonus Video 1: Monday, August 26, 2024

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