Shooter Standoff in Teton County Results in Arrest
Written by Jessi Entel on August 31, 2023
Tuesday evening, August 29, the Teton County Sheriff’s Office issued a Shelter in Place Alert due to an active shooter report in the area of Spring Gulch Road from Highway 22 to Sagebrush Drive.
At 9:04 p.m. the Teton County Emergency Management Task Force issued the following statement:
“Those in the area of Spring Gulch Rd between Highway 22 and Sagebrush must SHELTER IN PLACE NOW. There is an active shooter in the area. Go indoors, stay away from windows, and stay tuned for updates. Updates will be sent as more info is available.”
The alert was lifted around 11:40 p.m., but the area remained closed till about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday morning, August 30.
Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr told the Jackson Hole News & Guide that the event began as a domestic incident that escalated to a shooter standoff. Authorities were able to calm the subject down and take him into custody.
Yesterday, the Teton County Sheriff’s Office released a statement about the incident, which reads:
“On Tuesday night, August 29, Teton County Sheriff Deputies responded to an active shooter alert on North Spring Gulch Road. At approximately 8:23 p.m., dispatch received a 911 call from a family ranch stating that a family member was possibly intoxicated and discharging a firearm.
By the time the situation was resolved at approximately 11:43 p.m., a local man was in custody after using two semi-automatic handguns to shoot at a family member and his girlfriend, threatening to kill himself and others, and having an hours-long armed standoff with sheriff deputies on Spring Gulch Road.
The ordeal began when the man became upset during a dispute over a phone at his family’s residence. The man then began searching for something in the home, and returned carrying two handguns. As another family member attempted to leave the house and enter her vehicle, the man followed her and discharged numerous round into her vehicle. Bullets shattered the window and went through the headrest. She was ultimately unharmed.
After hearing gunshots, the man’s girlfriend came outside the home and climbed into her own vehicle. The man then shot out her driver’s side front and rear tires, saying he didn’t want her to leave and that he wanted to talk. The woman exited her vehicle and retreated to a pasture to hide for her safety.
After the incident, the man entered his own vehicle, a 2020 White Jeep Cherokee, and left the property to drive southbound on North Spring Gulch Road. At approximately 8:59 p.m., the man was stopped by a Jackson Police Officer who had blocked all lanes of traffic with his patrol vehicle.
For approximately two hours and 17 minutes, local law enforcement were in a standoff with the man, who repeatedly threatened to kill himself. He also discharged his two guns numerous times into the hillside.
After hours of negotiations, the man was safely apprehended and taken into custody.”
It is unknown at this time who the shooter was, or if he is still in custody.
