CASPER - The 19-year-old Casper man involved in an armed standoff Saturday with Casper police that involved an 18-month-old child ‘held like a shield’ faces four misdemeanor charges for the incident.
Brayden Donald Randolph is charged with reckless endangerment, child endangerment, being a minor in possession of alcohol and interference with a peace officer. His next hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Court records show Randolph is free on a $7,500 cash or surety bond.
Casper Police Department highlighted their more than two-hour standoff with Randolph at an apartment in the 1000 block of St. John Street with the distribution of body cam video and a news release Monday emphasizing their effort to de-escalate the situation.
Court records show that Casper police were called by a neighbor about 9:30 p.m. Saturday. He reported yelling in the four-apartment complex on the street and an apparent gunshot.
The Neighbor
A neighbor told Cowboy State Daily on Monday that when he arrived to his home around 6 p.m. Saturday, he initially heard singing and yelling and a party atmosphere from the apartment.
When he went outside after hearing the gunshot, he saw two young people fleeing in a vehicle and heard Randolph threatening to kill them.
A police affidavit on the case states an officer talked to the neighbor, went to Randolph’s apartment and knocked on the apartment door. Randolph yelled through the door telling the officer to leave.
“Randolph yelled he had a gun,” the affidavit states. “Randolph closed the blinds of the residence to limit (the officer’s) ability to see what happened inside.”
The officer saw broken glass on the floor and a vodka bottle on the kitchen counter.
He saw Randolph walk away from a living room and pick up an AR-style firearm with the butt stock removed and try to put the butt stock back on the rifle.
Child Held ‘Like A Shield’
Officers were advised that a small child was in the residence and a short time later Randolph was seen walking into the living room with a small child holding the child’s hand.
According to the affidavit, Randolph opened the door of the apartment telling officers to leave the area and at that time had a handgun in the waistband of his pants.
He then went into the apartment and reappeared holding the 18-month-old child “like a shield” and grabbed the handgrip of the handgun still in his waistband.
“Randolph told officers he had a gun and officers had guns and Randolph challenged officers to get him,” the affidavit states. “Randolph went back into the house.”
Another Casper officer contacted and spoke with a 20-year-old man who had fled the house and was told that Randolph had fired a gun during an argument and he and another man left, the affidavit states.
Police report the child’s mother arrived at the residence around 9:35 p.m. and tried to contact Randolph several times without a response.
The affidavit states a Natrona County Sheriff’s Office negotiator was called to the scene and tried to establish contact with Randolph and was unsuccessful over the more than the two hours.
Randolph also did not respond to a public address commands from police vehicles to leave the apartment.
A request for a warrant for Randolph’s arrest was received about 11:30 p.m., the affidavit states.
Seen Sleeping
Two Casper police officers went to the north side of the ground-floor apartment where a bedroom was located and saw Randolph sleeping on the floor, on his back.
The child was asleep on his shoulder. No weapons were visible, the affidavit states.
Officers tried to use a key to enter the apartment that was identified by the child’s mother as being in Randolph’s vehicle. When that did not work, they used a door “ram” to enter the apartment.
Officers went to the bedroom, removed the child, and Randolph “tried to resist.”
“While handcuffing Randolph, he attempted to roll away from officers and took hold of (an officer’s) foot,” the affidavit states. “(The officer) was able to break Randolph’s hold and Randolph was detained without further incident.”
Officers found a loaded firearm underneath Randolph, the affidavit states.
The reckless endangerment charge carries a potential penalty of one year in jail.
The child endangerment charge and interference with a peace officer charges also carry the penalty of up to one year in jail and $1,000 fines.
The minor in possession charge is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $750 fine.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
