CHEYENNE — A suspected explosive device placed on the Great Seal of the Wyoming State Capitol building Tuesday was a “deconstructed live firework munition with a fuse” placed in a potential act of terrorism, and authorities have identified two people of interest, Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) authorities announced Wednesday.
The improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered by a passerby, believed to be a Capitol employee, who brought it inside to alert troopers, authorities said prior. Officials evacuated the Capitol and issued a shelter in place warning for the surrounding Herschler Buildings.
FBI officials are now cooperating with DCI on the investigation and have taken custody of the “safe parts” of the device, DCI Commander Ryan Cox told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.
DCI Details
Cox said Wednesday that authorities are investigating the incident as though the firework was placed there with malicious intent.
He described the device as being cylindrical with no base, and less than a foot in length. It was not colorful, had no plastic wrapping or emblems and was not capable of shooting into the air, Cox said.
“This item was not immediately recognizable, even by our bomb folks,” he said. “They recognize it as having a solid potential to be an explosive like an IED, but then upon further analysis, it was not capable of inflicting harm as it was initially expected.”
Cox said the explosive did not appear to be something a consumer could find at a firework store.
DCI officials have identified two subjects of interest in the case, Cox said, adding that the agency has not spoken with either individual yet to determine the reasoning behind the firework.
The firework was not powerful enough to be considered a “bomb,” and would not be powerful enough to destroy a building or a car, Cox said.
“We're going to shy away from the word ‘bomb,’” he said. “I think bomb carries with it a connotation that is going to explode a block, going to take out a city block like an IED. I think most people, when they think of that, they think ‘oh, like that might destroy a car.’ And we're believing that what we have here is less than either one of those.”
Cox confirmed investigators are examining the incident as a violation of state statutes against using explosives to put another person in reasonable danger. Such behavior could be considered terrorism, he said.
The Bomb Coach
Joey Correnti, a retired U.S. Army unit armorer, told Cowboy State Daily he believes the firework may have been more powerful than a common Fourth of July pyrotechnic.
“The thing that pops into my head is one of those types of fireworks that goes into the cannon tube,” he said via phone. “If they're relating it to fireworks, it’s likely one of those Fourth of July fireworks, the big boy kind that you get set up in the in the cannon tube.
“I'm not saying that makes it any less dangerous, but that's just not a bottle rocket,” he added.
Correnti also said he believes that based on the description from DCI that the firework could have caused serious harm to civilians in the area.
“Fireworks blow people's hands off all the time, and those are just a little firecracker ones,” he said. “So, if you're close enough to something like that, or you have it in your hands, yeah, I could see people losing fingers, hands, severe burns.”
The discovery’s most intense effect on the public was the time authorities spent locking down the area and the halting of government and legislative business within the building, he said.
“I mean, they shut down a building, a government building, all of the resources that go out to deal with that, the fact that it should always be taken seriously,” Correnti said.
Whoever is responsible for placing the device could have done so out of a desire to test law enforcement’s response time ahead of the coming legislative session, Correnti said.
“The concern I have is what happens when you have multiple bomb threats all at the same time, there's a potential that somebody's looking into what response capabilities and tactics different parts of the state have, or they're simply trying to incite fear,” he said. “And at the Capitol, you would think that would be fear for political gain or disruption, which is technically the definition of terrorism, even if nothing blows up.”
‘Antithetical’
Former Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R- Cheyenne, who was the second-longest-serving member of the House until January of 2025, served on the State Building Commission which approved the creation of the Great Seal outside the Capitol. He said Tuesday’s threat is an insult to the hard work of Capitol officials who strive to make the complex a welcoming place.
“So we've done a lot of work in my 20 years to really have the Capitol complex being an inviting space, welcoming people,” he said. “Having the threat of an IED right there in front I mean, it's just antithetical to all the work we've done to really open up the building and make it a safe space if people want to be on the grounds.”
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
