Wyoming State Capitol evacuated amid investigation of a suspicious package

The Wyoming Highway Patrol ordered the evacuation of the state Capitol building on Tuesday morning after a report of a suspected improvised explosive device, according to officials.

Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the report and closed blocks of streets around the Capitol building. 

By early afternoon, a bomb squad composed of Cheyenne police officers and Laramie County sheriff deputies had removed a suspicious package from the Capitol, bomb-sniffing dogs had searched the building and grounds and a forensic investigation was underway, according to an email sent to state lawmakers and obtained by WyoFile.

Authorities would not reopen the building on Tuesday, according to the email, which was written by Legislative Service Office Director Matt Obrecht. 

WHP officials at 4:30 p.m. announced on Facebook that the capitol would stay closed and the investigation remained ongoing. 

It remained unclear whether the package had in fact been a bomb, and who had initially alerted authorities to its presence. 

From around noon to just after 2 p.m. on Tuesday, officers closed about 14 square blocks around the Capitol out of precaution as the investigation proceeded. At 2:35 p.m., WHP officials announced they had reopened the streets with an exception of a two block area on the north end of the Herschler building, which sits behind the Capitol and is connected to the statehouse via an underground annex. Officials had reopened all streets by 4:30 p.m. 

WHP did not order an evacuation of the Herschler building, which houses staff from different state agencies, or any of the other state and federal buildings that make up the Capitol complex. 

The evacuation began just after 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, though WHP spokesperson Aaron Brown told WyoFile he did not yet have a confirmed timeline of when the first report of the suspected bomb reached authorities. 

When the evacuation order was issued, Gov. Mark Gordon, State Treasurer Curt Meier and State Auditor Kristi Racines were all gathered in the Capitol Extension for a regular meeting of the Wyoming Stable Token Commission.

The commission’s executive director, Anthony Apollo, was speaking mid-sentence when the meeting was abruptly stopped at around 10 a.m.

“To anyone on the call, we are currently evacuating the building, to be addressed at a later point in time,” Apollo announced as he gathered his things.

The exit confused and concerned the commission members and staff who had Zoomed into the meeting.

“I hope everyone is OK,” said Commissioner Flavia Naves.

Amy Edmonds, Gordon’s spokesperson, told WyoFile the governor’s office is actively working with law enforcement and is monitoring this situation. 

“Employee safety is my highest priority, and all capital building employees were evacuated out of an abundance of caution to ensure their safety,” Gordon said in a statement.

Tuesday’s incident comes in a year marked by politically motivated violence is an increasing concern among Americans, with the assassination of a Democrat state lawmaker in Minnesota and of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a speaking event in Utah, among other incidents. 

The Capitol evacuation also marked at least the third significant security event at Wyoming’s seat of government in recent years. 

In September 2024, a suspicious powder sent to the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office prompted an evacuation of the nearby Herschler Building, which houses several state agencies including the State Treasurer’s Office, the Department of Education and the Department of Revenue.

On Jan. 6, 2021, state troopers locked down the Capitol and Herschler buildings during the riot at the U.S. Capitol. Several hundred people were protesting outside the Wyoming Capitol, and troopers heard “worrying remarks” in the crowd, they told WyoFile at the time.

Maggie Mullen contributed reporting. 

This story was last updated at 5 p.m.