Unanswered questions remain in the aftermath of a shooting incident that occurred in Baggs, Wyoming over three months ago that resulted in the alleged perpetrator being shot dead and a Carbon County Sheriff’s deputy being seriously wounded.

The shooting of the officer prompted the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office to call upon various Northwest Colorado law enforcement agencies (including the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office, Hayden Police Department, Routt County Sheriff’s Office and the Steamboat Springs Police Department), to assist in an operation to pursue and subdue the gunman. The perpetrator is alleged to have been a healthcare worker in Craig according to the Carbon County Sheriff, the mayor of Baggs and another Bagg’s town official.

The incident began June 8 when a Baggs resident fired two shots into the air at an apartment complex and fled in a vehicle, prompting a law enforcement response. The alleged shooter returned to the apartment and engaged in an exchange of gunfire with Carbon County Deputy, Sgt. Zach Burns, seriously wounding Burns before once again fleeing in his vehicle.

The incident ended when the alleged shooter was located in his vehicle north of Baggs and shot dead by Carbon County sheriff’s deputies.

Little information was released after the incident and much of what is known has been released on the personal Facebook page of Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken.

Bakken did respond to questions from the Craig Press on June 16, a week following the incident, stating that “fielding immediate requests from the media was not a priority, as far more pressing matters were at hand.” Regarding the specifics of the incident, Bakken summarized by stating: “The criminal in this altercation was shot dead, an arrangement provided by the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office thanks to the incredible bravery and excellent marksmanship of another member of our team.”

Sheriff Baker has not responded to subsequent requests for information made by the Craig Press since June 16. 

A formal request for information through Carbon County’s public request portal was made by the newspaper on June 9 and again on Aug. 12. Specific information requested included “body cam footage from the officer who was shot, body cam footage from other officers at the time of engagement, any communication logs that exist, the name of the victim and body cam footage of the engagement that resulted in the death of the perpetrator.” 

Both requests for information were denied by Ashley Davis, Carbon County’s deputy attorney, who responded: “The Carbon County Wyoming Public Records has reviewed your request and has determined that the records requested are exempt from disclosure under the Wyoming Public Records Statute for the following reasons:

– Active Investigation (See Wyoming Statute 16-4-203(a)(i).  Active case materials are not released as public records until the investigation and any corresponding prosecution case are closed pursuant to Wyoming Statute 16-4-203(b)(i);

-This investigation has been assigned to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and that agency will operate as the custodian to determine what, if any records, can be released in accordance with Wyoming Statute 16-4-201(a)(i); and, – Police Officer Recordings may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to Wyo. Stat. 16-4-203(d)(x) and/or (d)(x)(viii);

Davis concluded the response to the request by stating: “Carbon County now considers your request closed. If you have any questions or need additional information, please respond to this email.”

After repeated requests by the newspaper for information to Sheriff Bakken received no response, Davis emailed the newspaper on Aug. 31 and stated, “Stop sending emails requesting public records and responsive information directly to the Sheriff or any other individual employee or elected officials of Carbon County.  All requests need to be submitted through the public records portal as this is the appropriate process adopted by Carbon County for this purpose.”

Davis sent this email to the newspaper on Aug. 31 seemingly unaware that she had already reviewed and responded to the formal records request on Aug. 13.

When asked why public information was being shared via the personal/campaign Facebook site of Sheriff Bakken rather than an official county site, Davis responded, “Carbon County does not provide advice on or dictate what information is shared by political candidates.”

Following the direction of Davis, the newspaper contacted the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation multiple times asking for updates on the investigation. Despite assurances from the agency that phone calls would be returned, no response was received from the department.

The Carbon County Coroner, Brittany Nyman, was also contacted in early June regarding the identity of the alleged perpetrator. Nymann assured the newspaper that the identity of the victim would be disclosed shortly. Multiple phone messages left for Nyman since that time have not been returned.

While many of the particulars surrounding the incident remain unknown, what is known is that a sheriff’s deputy was gravely wounded, an unnamed suspect was shot dead by Carbon County Sheriff’s deputies and a large contingent of Northwest Colorado law enforcement officers assisted in a potentially dangerous situation — with practically the only information regarding the incident, which occurred three months ago, disclosed via a Facebook campaign page.

Three months after the tragic incident, the identity of the name of the perpetrator shot by law enforcement has not been publicly identified. While it is understandable that an investigation is still ongoing, not releasing the name of the individual killed by Carbon County law enforcement officials questions the transparency of all individuals and Wyoming agencies involved.