Families had gathered to watch Fourth of July fireworks at F.E. Warren Air Force Base when the celebration turned into a nightmare.
Just after 10 p.m. July 4, a 5-year-old girl watching the fireworks from the Trails End parking lot suddenly suffered what appeared to be a head injury. She was rushed to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, where doctors discovered a bullet lodged in one of her sinus cavities.
The girl, the daughter of an airman stationed at F.E. Warren, was later flown to Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora, where physicians confirmed the object was indeed a bullet. Surgeons removed it, and she has since been discharged and is recovering with her family.
Now, nearly four weeks later, military and local investigators are asking the public for help in identifying who fired the shot.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Air Force Office of Special Investigations at 307-432-2114.
Public Asked To Think Back
Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins said investigators initially chose not to publicize the shooting because they believed doing so could jeopardize the investigation.
"We wanted to talk about it right away," Collins told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday. But after consulting with investigators, city officials agreed to wait.
"They felt like if we could wait till a week or two, that would give them time to run down a bunch of leads before we made it public," Collins said. "They were worried maybe the gun might disappear or something along those lines, and so in order to be able to get justice for the family, we thought it was prudent to give law enforcement opportunity to do their investigation before we made a public announcement."
Collins said he first learned about the shooting from the commander of the 90th Missile Wing, likely the morning after the incident.
Because the shooting occurred outside Cheyenne city limits, neither the city nor the Cheyenne Police Department participated in the investigation, he said.
F.E. Warren Air Force Base Public Affairs did not respond to Cowboy State Daily's requests for additional information before publication.
Residents Urged To Think Back
Officials urged anyone who discharged a firearm that night — or anyone who witnessed unsafe gunfire — to consider the consequences and contact investigators.
Collins echoed that message, saying responsible firearm ownership carries an obligation to use guns safely.
"Wyoming is a Second Amendment state, and we take pride in our guns," he said. "But along with that comes the responsibility to handle them properly.
"There is no time where celebrating and shooting a gun or a weapon into the sky is safe or appropriate."
He also urged residents to think back to the Fourth of July celebration, saying even seemingly insignificant observations — a vehicle parked near the base, unusual activity or someone firing a weapon — could help investigators piece together what happened.
'I Was Heartsick'
The case struck Collins personally.
"I have grandchildren about that same age, and I was heartsick," he said.
He said he was relieved the little girl appears to be recovering but couldn't believe a holiday celebration ended with a child wounded by gunfire.
"It was devastating," he said.
Collins said the family deserves answers.
"We're just asking for help," he said. "We really hope that we'll be able to find the gun and maybe try to understand what happened. I think the family deserves that, and I hope we can make it happen."
Other Recent Shooting Cases
Tuesday's appeal comes after several unrelated shooting incidents involving F.E. Warren Air Force Base personnel that have drawn public attention over the past year.
In September 2025, Fort Collins police identified a Wyoming-based airman assigned to F.E. Warren as the gunman in a murder-suicide tied to a domestic violence incident. The airman died at the scene, and the woman who was wounded died the next day.
In March 2025, Air Force personnel target shooting on private land in Platte County accidentally struck and seriously injured a Verizon contractor working atop a nearby cell tower. The worker survived, and Cowboy State Daily has requested the final investigative report in that case.
In July 2025, another F.E. Warren airman was fatally shot inside a military dormitory. The death initially drew scrutiny because the weapon involved was a military-issued Sig Sauer M18 pistol, but investigators later arrested another airman on suspicion of manslaughter after concluding the shooting was not accidental.
Then, in August 2025, another fatal shooting involving two F.E. Warren airmen resulted in a manslaughter charge in Laramie County. That criminal case remains pending.
Authorities have not indicated any connection between those cases and the investigation into the July 4 shooting. They remain separate incidents involving personnel assigned to F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
