Cheyenne Police Department detectives say they believe a deadly shooting outside a local King Soopers grocery store Saturday started as a road rage altercation that came to a head in the store parking lot.
The department said in a statement that it is continuing to investigate the incident. Early indications, police wrote, show the shooting may have grown out of a dispute involving four people and two cars.
Laramie County Coroner Rebecca Reid told Cowboy State Daily she would not yet release the identity of the victim as the investigation continues.
Police on Saturday say they responded to the King Soopers location on Dell Range Boulevard after 9 p.m. after receiving reports of gun shots. Officers located one man at the scene, age 19, who they say was struck by gunfire. The shooting victim died from his wounds.
Police say a second adult male found at the scene openly admitted to being the shooter. Police detained him.
“Preliminary information indicates that a dispute occurred between the 19-year-old and the male shooter earlier in the evening,” Cheyenne Police wrote. “According to statements, the 19-year-old and his three friends were traveling in a Chevrolet Cavalier when they became involved in a possible road rage incident with the other male, who was driving a Ford Raptor.”
The two vehicles followed one another into the King Soopers parking lot where police say the dispute escalated, resulting in the fatal shooting. Cheyenne Police Department’s Detective Bureau continues to investigate the shooting and plans to forward its findings to the district attorney to issue potential charges.
Cowboy State Daily reached out to national and regional representatives of Kroger, the store’s parent company. Those requests went unanswered by publishing deadline.
Cheyenne Police did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Cowboy State Daily.
Yellow caution tape blocks off a bank of parking spaces on the west side of the Cheyenne King Soopers store. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily) 
Shooting in Cheyenne claimed one life on September 20, 2025 (Courtesy: Cheyenne Police Department)
City Shootings
The shooting follows the death of an Air Force airman who was shot in July while at F.E. Warren Air Force base in Cheyenne. Jadan Orr, 20, is accused of inadvertently shooting the airman through a wall while trying to clear his pistol.
Cheyenne Circuit Court Judge Antoinette Williams set a $500,000 cash-only bond for Orr after a prosecutor lambasted the “blatant senselessness” of the alleged incident. Orr was stationed on the 90th Missile Wing, which is stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force base.
Airman Brayden Lovan also died in July after a shooting in which authorities are investigating the possible malfunction of a Sig Sauer pistol. Air Force Global Strike Command responded by temporarily suspending the use of that gun. A suspect was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and making false statements in the shooting death.
Cheyenne police in July released mid-year data showing a 15% decrease in citywide crime since January compared to the same period in 2024.
It acknowledged “violent crime rates in Cheyenne remain low; however, crimes against persons are increasing slightly.
“There is a 6% uptick in simple assault and a 2% decrease in aggravated assault,” the report reads.
Police chief Mark Francisco touted the department’s continued attention toward reducing crime as a major factor in the decrease.
“We are pleased to see a continued reduction in crime across the city,” Francisco wrote in a statement issued with the report. “This progress reflects the impact of our crime prevention programs and strong community partnerships. As of right now, these tactics appear to be having a positive effect, and we will continue working hard to finish the year strong.”
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
