Thermopolis officer in stable condition after Friday shooting

Thermopolis Police Sgt. Mike Mascorro is in stable condition after an officer-involved shooting on Friday.

According to information released by the Thermopolis Police Department (TPD), on Friday, April 28 at approximately 12:37 p.m. there was an officer involved shooting at a residence off of Canyon Hills Road.

Shortly after the shooting, information was released on social media by law enforcement agencies saying there was no threat to the community. Canyon Hills road was closed to through traffic during the investigation, which is being conducted by Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and is ongoing so at this time details are limited.

According to a DCI press release issued on Tuesday, the DCI was contacted by the Thermopolis Police Department and asked to investigate an officer involved shooting.

Local agents and members of the DCI Officer Involved Shooting team responded to the scene, along with personnel from the Wyoming State Crime Laboratory to conduct the investigation.

Agents learned Sgt. Mike Mascorro of the Thermopolis Police Department contacted Buck Laramore, 33, at 1225 Canyon Hills Road #7 to investigate a crime that had occurred earlier in the day.

Shortly after Sgt. Mascorro made contact with Laramore, Laramore produced a weapon and shot and wounded Sgt. Mascorro at the residence. Sgt. Mascorro returned fire which resulted in the death of Laramore.

Sgt. Mascorro was transported to Hot Springs Health for treatment. He was later airlifted to Banner-Wyoming Medical Center in Casper, where he remains in reportedly stable condition.

According to the DCI release, the investigation is ongoing and details will be presented to the Hot Springs County Attorney’s Office for review upon completion.

In a statement released by TPD, they expressed their appreciation to the community for their outpouring of support.

An account has been set up at Pinnacle Bank in the name of “Mascorro Family Fund”. You can go to any Pinnacle Bank in Wyoming and they will know which account to use if you tell them it’s the Mascorro Family Fund account.

Hot Springs County Sheriff Jerimie Kraushaar issued a statement saying, “I want to personally thank and acknowledge K9 Deputy Shayna Cox for her heroic lifesaving actions while rendering aid while still in harms way. Our community is blessed to have so many dedicated law enforcement professionals serving us.”

He also thanked the many agencies who assisted local personnel on Friday, including Wyoming Highway Patrol, Wyoming Game and Fish, Wyoming State Parks, Washakie County Sheriff’s Office, Wyoming DCI, Wyoming State Crime Lab, Mortimore Ambulance Services and other agencies throughout the state who offered personnel and support.

In a statement from the family, they expressed their deep and heartfelt appreciation for the magnitude of love, prayers and support they have received from throughout the Thermopolis community and law enforcement agencies statewide.

They also expressed a very special thank you to K9 Deputy Cox for her quick response and deep courage that enabled first class medical teams to have the best outcome possible. They went onto say that Mike is currently stable and in good spirits and is continuing to show improvement.

Updates on the investigation will appear in the Independent Record as they are received.