Updated 1:30 p.m.
Some employees are sheltering in place inside both the Herschler State Office Building and the Capitol building, according to Aaron Brown, a public information officer for the Wyoming Highway Patrol. The agency oversees law enforcement activity at the state Capitol.
An email sent to state employees and shared with Wyoming Public Radio from the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information said:
"The Wyoming Highway Patrol has issued a ‘shelter in place’ notice for Herschler East & West. Employees who need to leave may exit via the north side of the Herschlers or from the underground parking garage. If you're away from the buildings, please stay away until further notice. Otherwise, again, please shelter in place while the bomb squad finishes investigating this incident."
Brown said there is still no timeline for when the investigation will wrap up and people can return to the Capitol.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
The Wyoming Capitol building was evacuated over a “suspected IED,” otherwise known as an improvised explosive device, on Oct. 21.
Brown told WPR a joint bomb squad from the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office and the Cheyenne Police Department were at the Capitol complex.
“The sheriff's office also has some of their dogs here, K-9s are doing that,” said Brown. “We're also making sure we're surveilling the area with drones as well. In the meantime, we're asking everyone to avoid the area.”
Brown added that as of 11:37 a.m., he “could not confirm any suspects” involved with the incident. Brown declined to describe the possible IED.
Col. Tim Cameron, administrator of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, told WPR a bomb squad was on the way as of 11 a.m. and that there was no firm timeline for when state employees can return to the building.
“This morning a citizen noticed something that looked rather suspicious to him outside the Capitol,” said Cameron. “They carried the device in and gave it to an employee of the Capitol and notified the trooper on duty. Then, pretty quickly from there, the Capitol was evacuated.”
Highway Patrol said on X it’s asking people to avoid the area.
Cameron said in the three years he’s been with the patrol, this is the first incident like this he’s encountered.
He said it was too early in the investigation to discuss a possible motive behind the package, and he also declined to share details about its appearance to WPR for fear of compromising law enforcement’s work.
“We're very attuned to the fact that there's – we're certainly in a threat environment, especially for elected and appointed officials around the country,” he said.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
