A 55-year-old man was shot and killed Sunday night after he shot at a Campbell County sheriff’s deputy who was investigating a reported domestic incident involving the man in the Wright area, said Sheriff Scott Matheny.

Deputies responded at 9:23 p.m. Sunday to a domestic disturbance in the 1100 block of Lawver Road more than 10 miles northeast of Wright. A 54-year-old woman called 911 to report that her husband, the 55-year-old, had punched her in the face.

A deputy pulled up to the home, and the suspect fired at the patrol car with a shotgun, Matheny said, hitting the windshield. A photo provided to the media shows the patrol car’s cracked and pockmarked windshield. 

The deputy exited the car and returned fire. Matheny said he didn’t know how many shots the deputy got off, but he hit the suspect.

EMS personnel arrived and pronounced the man dead at the scene. The deputy was not hurt.

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation is handling the investigation, which is often the case after law enforcement shootings within the state. The deputy has been placed on administrative leave until the investigation is finished, Matheny said.

The Sheriff’s Office has not identified the man who was killed. A message to Campbell County Coroner Paul Wallem was not returned by the time of publication.

Jonathan Gallardo is the editor of the Gillette News Record. He has covered local government in Gillette and Campbell County since moving there from Cincinnati in 2016.

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