By PoliceOne Staff
CASPER, Wyo. — A Wyoming police department has released dash cam footage of a shootout that left one officer critically wounded.
On Wednesday, the Casper Police Department released video that shows Officers Jacob Carlson and Randi Garrett engaging in a shootout with a suspect, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. Carlson was critically wounded after being struck by at least five bullets.
Police were called to a park on Wednesday after reports that a 3-year-old was driving a car with a man, identified as 38-year-old David Wolosin, in the passenger seat. Chief Keith McPheeters said Garrett spoke with Wolosin briefly before Carlson arrived.
In the video, Wolosin slowly walks backwards past the trunk of the car, and when Carlson tries to grab him, the suspect suddenly opens fire on the officers. Carlson is struck multiple times and appears to return fire as he falls to the ground. Wolosin falls down and Carlson crawls behind the car.
The officers are then seen on video taking turns standing to fire over the hood and trunk of the car. Children can be seen moving inside the vehicle while the officers take cover behind the car. Two more officers with long guns respond to the scene and walk toward the spot where Wolosin, who died at the scene, lies.Garrett then opens the passenger door to release the children, who run up to their parents and embrace them.
McPheeters credited Garrett, who was not injured in the shooting, for providing critical first aid to Carlson. McPheeters said Garrett also reached toward the window to hold a child’s hand in an attempt to comfort them during the shooting. He added that both officers acted heroically.
Carlson remained in critical condition Wednesday and underwent a six-hour surgery, which McPheeters said went better than expected.
The chief also said he was unaware of many details of the investigation. Don Fuller, an attorney who’s representing the officers involved, told the Casper Star-Tribune Monday that Wolosin considered himself a sovereign citizen, and that he was teaching the children, who were unharmed, to drive before police arrived.
The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting. DCI commander Matt Waldock declined to comment on the specifics of the investigation.
A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for Carlson and his family.
