CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper Police Department has released a video depicting events from an officer-involved shooting that left one suspect dead in early May 2021.
During a press conference on Friday July 16, 2021, Casper Police Chief Keith McPheeters announced the release of a video showing dash and body cam footage of the incident, advising that the graphic nature of the content should make sensitive viewers reconsider watching.
“The release of this footage of the events of May 6th carries with it an unusual burden. This footage is particularly intense and may be traumatizing to any who choose to view it,” Chief McPheeters warned Friday. “Unlike other officer-involved shootings that are available on the internet, they generally occur at distances much greater, the relevant segments of this footage occur at extremely close distances.”
The video was made available via a link posted on the Casper Police Department’s Facebook page. Oil City is opting to not post the video to our platforms, but the YouTube link from the Casper Police Department can be found below.
The nature of the video is very graphic and viewer discretion is highly advised by both the Casper Police Department and editorial staff at Oil City News.
YouTube LINK: Released police involved-shooting video from May 6, 2021 (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT)
McPheeters says that two Casper Police Officers, one in-training, observed a vehicle near East H and North Elma Streets in Casper at approximately 4:00 a.m. on May 6, 2021. McPheeters said that the officers suspected the vehicle had a license plate violation.
“For their own reasons, the occupants of the vehicle pulled the vehicle over,” McPheeters told media, describing the events detailed in the video. “When our officer approached the passenger side of the vehicle, the passenger continued to keep his face concealed behind the door post of the vehicle. Consistent with his training, the officer maintains his safety by remaining to the rear of the door post.”
It is further reported that during the contact, the passenger of the suspect vehicle gave law enforcement an incorrect name and was inconsistent with the way he spelled the name for officers.
“When the passenger rolled up his window, this is not visible on the camera because of the camera’s angle, but visible to our officer — the passenger reaches over and places the vehicle into drive,” McPheeters said.
Officers claim that the passenger told the driver to flee the area, but that the driver put the vehicle back into park and exited, telling officers that that he was “not part” of what was happening.
“This immediately elevates the concerns and realizations of the officers. At that time our officer drew his sidearm,” McPheeters continued.
The video goes on to show that while the trainee-officer, identified by Casper PD as Officer Andrew Linkowski, is in his patrol vehicle, the original driver of the suspect vehicle approaches officers with hands in the air. Linkowski exits his patrol vehicle and orders the driver to lie on the ground while another officer attempts to secure the suspect vehicle.
The suspect vehicle is heard to rev its engine while an officer, identified by police as Casper PD officer Jake Bigelow, shouts commands at the passenger to stop the vehicle. The passenger reportedly put the vehicle back into gear and engaged the engine.
From the police patrol car dash-cam, Officer Bigelow is seen entering into the vehicle as it attempts to leave the area.
“10-4, they’re fleeing and he’s in the vehicle,” Officer Linkowski can be heard reporting to emergency dispatch.
In the video, as officer Linkowski follows the suspect vehicle in his patrol car, the suspect vehicle can be seen entering the oncoming lane of Interstate 25 and driving on the median.
Eventually the vehicle slows and drifts to a stop in on the shoulder of westbound I-25, with the vehicle facing eastbound.
The video then changes perspectives and shows the same incident from the body camera of Officer Bigelow.
Bigelow can be seen approaching the passenger window, where the passenger is reclined in his seat. After contact is made with both the driver and passenger, the passenger is asked to exit the vehicle, but notifies police that he is “not answering questions” and rolls the passenger window up.
The passenger is seen leaning into the interior of the car as Bigelow is heard to give orders for the suspect to step out of the vehicle.
“Don’t drive off. Don’t drive off,” Bigelow can be heard saying in the video. “What are we doing?”
Bigelow then addresses the original driver, who has exited the vehicle, asking the driver what he was doing, and telling Officer Linkowski to take control of the driver.
The shaky body cam footage then shows Officer Bigelow attempt to approach the vehicle again, and can be heard shouting, “Don’t do it!”
Bigelow is then seen opening the passenger door of the suspect vehicle as the passenger leans over into the driver’s seat.
“Show me your hands right now,” Bigelow can be heard saying to the suspect, as the officer’s flashlight strobes the cab of the vehicle.
“Don’t you f***ing do it! Don’t you f***ing do it! If you drive away with me, I will f***ing kill you,” Bigelow says to the suspect in the video, as the suspect places the vehicle in drive and begins to leave the area.
As the suspect drives the vehicle, Bigelow can be heard ordering the man to stop, and saying that he will shoot the suspect.
“Last chance! I will f***ing shoot you!” Bigelow shouts while inside the moving vehicle.
“Shoot me, then,” the suspect can be heard to reply.
“An ongoing battle over the gearshift continues, with the driver only briefly and infrequently watching where he is driving,” Chief McPheeters says of the video. “He leans his whole upper body over the top of the gearshift, preventing the officer from accessing the gearshift.”
Finally gaining access to the gearshift, McPheeters says that Officer Bigelow attempted to throw the vehicle into park, which reportedly damaged the transmission of the vehicle, with the vehicle’s momentum carrying the vehicle some distance further before stopping.
The body cam footage from the officer in the vehicle shows that Bigelow is wrestling with the suspect, before the order is heard “stop reaching!”
“Stop reaching! Stop reaching!” the officer shouts, before the muzzle flash of the officer’s firearm is seen in the video with accompanying “snap” sound.
“The viewer of the video will then see that, apparently realizing flight is no longer possible, the driver switches his attention,” McPheeters told media Friday, “to reaching into the backpack behind him. His intent in doing that— his purposes — are known only to him.”
Police say that a silver object was retrieved from the backpack by the suspect and held in a pistol grip, before the suspect lost hold of the object and dropped it. It’s alleged that the suspect began reaching for the object again.
That’s when McPheeters says that Officer Bigelow opened fire.
“When you watch the video you will see the officer issue an abundance of commands to not reach into the backpack. Once the object is dropped to the floorboards the officer will again issue an abundance of commands to not do that,” McPheeters said.
Ultimately, McPheeters said that the officer believed that the object may be a firearm, and made the choice to shoot the suspect. Police go onto say that the object was later identified as a butane lighter that is customarily held in a pistol-like grip.
The deceased was identified in May by the Natrona County Coroner’s Office as 42-year-old Thomas Joseph Roeber.
“20-29 shots fired! 20-29 shots fired!” can be heard in the video as Officer Bigelow summons help from emergency dispatch.
Police say that after the vehicle rolls to a stop, both Bigelow and Linkowski attempted to render medical aid to the suspect until the arrival of rescue crews. Other officers reportedly arrived within minutes and attempted CPR on the suspect.
Video of the suspect after being shot was blurred out in the released police video. Rescue crews are shown to arrive at the scene approximately six minutes later. The suspect would later be pronounced dead at a Natrona County hospital.
During a subsequent search of the vehicle, police say that a felony amount of methamphetamine, believed to have belonged to the suspect, was recovered. Police also report finding a BB gun fashioned in the style of a silver revolver. Pictures of both the butane lighter and BB gun are included at the end of the police video, along with a map of the route that the vehicle took.
White text on a black screen then tells viewers of the video that the involved officers were placed on administrative leave, and the shooting was turned over to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation for third-party review.
DCI’s findings were reportedly submitted to the Natrona County District Attorney’s Office on June 1.
During the July 16 press conference, a letter from District Attorney Dan Itzen was read by Casper PD spokesperson Rebekah Ladd. The letter outlined details surrounding the incident, detailing Casper Police Officer Jake Bigelow’s attempt to stop the speeding vehicle, ultimately ending with the officer shooting the driver and bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. In addition, Itzen announced that charges against the officer were not being pursued.
Officer Linkowski has since returned to duty and is currently serving for the Casper Police Department. Officer Bigelow was reportedly on restricted duty and is expected to return to street duty next week.
No criminal charges are being pursued for the original driver of the suspect vehicle.
McPheeters said that he could not speculate as to the suspect’s motivations for attempting to flee the scene.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of the article misspelled Thomas Joseph Roeber’s last name and did not include his first name. Oil City News regrets these errors and they have been corrected.
