Wyoming News Exchange

Cheyenne shootings believed to be drug-related
 
By Isabella Alves
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Via Wyoming News Exchange
 
CHEYENNE – The two adults killed in Monday’s shooting in east Cheyenne have been identified by police, and the shooting is believed to be drug-related.
Andrew Weaver, 25, of Cheyenne was arrested about two hours after the shooting as the sole suspect. He was arrested on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault with injury with a deadly weapon.
Adrien Butler, 37, and Shaline Wymer, 30, both of Cheyenne, were the two adults killed. Two 14-year-old boys who were shot haven’t been identified, but remain hospitalized.
Cheyenne Police Department spokesman Officer Kevin Malatesta said the probable cause affidavit was filed Tuesday afternoon with the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office.
Weaver allegedly went to the residence at 3432 E. 11th St. planning to exchange a gun for either money, a different gun or methamphetamine with one of the people at the residence, Malatesta said.
Weaver was suspected to be under the influence of some type of narcotic. Malatesta said during his interview with detectives Weaver indicated that he had “done the act.”
Malatesta said this shooting highlights the dangers associated with drug use, and if someone is addicted to any type of drug, there are treatment options out there.
It also isn’t the first time local law enforcement officers have been in contact with Weaver. On Sept. 10, he was arrested by the Laramie County Sheriff’s Department for misdemeanor theft and misdemeanor possession of a methamphetamine-type drug. Malatesta also said CPD has had several encounters with Weaver.
According to the Cheyenne Police Department booking sheet, “the investigation determined Andrew Weaver knowingly and with premeditation fired a handgun multiple times at five people, killing two, wounding two others and missing the fifth.”
Patrick Dudley, the father of one of the 14-year-old victims, told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Tuesday his son is currently in critical condition in a medically induced coma. He was shot in the hand, stomach and the back of his head.
“No parent should have to go through this with their children,” Dudley said. “If anything, it should be the opposite. I’ve already lived my full life; he hasn’t even started his.”
He said he hopes the other juvenile in the case pulls through.
“The person that did the situation needs to go away for the rest of his life, plus some,” Dudley said.
While Weaver was at large, police and Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr took to social media to advise residents to stay inside their homes with their doors locked. But residents like Debbie Phillips said Weaver was arrested in the field by her home, and she didn’t know what was going on until she saw the 5:30 p.m. news because she isn’t on social media.
“I just think the neighborhood should have been warned that this guy was on the loose,” she said.
Orr said in the future, the city will utilize reverse 911 to warn residents of a potentially dangerous situation.
She said it’s important to know this wasn’t a random act, and the fact that this was a drug-related crime speaks to the motive, and it’s something that the community will continue to address.
“This particular incident, very tragic indeed, has brought to light some areas where we can better communicate with the public to remain safe,” she said. “Public safety was certainly an issue in those early minutes and hours.”
In her three-and-a-half years as mayor, Orr said this is not the norm for Cheyenne, and it is a safe community.