      Wyoming authorities have finally released details on the standoff Friday night in the Casper suburb of Evansville that lasted 17 hours and resulted in the death of 29-year old Blaine Clutter – believed but not confirmed to be the suspect.
An autopsy was held yesterday to determine Clutter’s cause of death, but shots were exchanged at multiple times during the standoff. Four Casper officers who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues.
Casper police said yesterday in a release that the incident began about 6 PM Friday when officers trying to serve a felony arrest warrant at an Evansville home on a man, apparently Clutter, who exchanged gunfire with the officers.
Multiple agencies responded and the area was cordoned off. Negotiators spent the next 18 hours trying to end the standoff peacefully, but the suspect fired several times.
At one point early Saturday morning, officers returned fire. When police finally entered the house about 11:00 AM, they found Clutter dead inside.
With the Casper and Evansville Police Departments and the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office all involved in the incident, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigations has the lead role in the case.
The Natrona County District Attorney’s Office will determine at the end of the investigation if the discharge of weapons was justified.
The Casper Police Internal Affairs Division will conduct a separate investigation on whether the department’s policies and procedures were followed. There will be a news conference to discuss those findings when they’re released.
The paid administrative leave for the 4 officers is standard policy with the department saying it was done out of “an abundance of caution, pending a full investigation.