Suspect Arrested Following Lockdown at East High School

Published on October 03, 2024

Last week, Cheyenne Police Officers began an investigation into a threat that occurred at East High School located at 2800 East Pershing Boulevard.

On Tuesday, the wanted subject, Tyler Bathke, 18, of Cheyenne, turned himself in on a felony warrant.

Case Background

On Thursday, September 26 at approximately 1:18 p.m., a School Resource Officer (SRO) at East High received a report that a male student, later identified as Bathke, was carrying a gun in his waistband and made several concerning statements to other students - one of which indicated that a school shooting was going to occur.

SROs and school administrators met immediately to assess the potential threat. Within minutes, East High was placed into a lockdown and the nearby Carey Jr. High School was placed into a secure perimeter.

Additional officers were called to the scene and quickly located Bathke. Following a sweep of the school and surrounding areas, it was determined that there was no evidence of a gun in his possession, but officers did verify that threatening statements were made.

Due to the disruptive nature of this incident and mass panic created within the schools, officers applied for an arrest warrant for Bathke the following day. On Tuesday, October 1, Bathke turned himself into the Laramie County Jail. He was arrested and booked without incident on a felony charge of making terroristic threats.

“School threats carry very real consequences,” said Chief Mark Francisco. “This incident caused unnecessary fear, panic, and disruption in our community and placed a burden on school and police resources. We will always take violent threats seriously and will continue to work closely with our partners in education.”

__

Students play an essential role in reporting information to authorities. Social media threats or concerning statements should always be reported to an SRO or submitted through the Safe-2-Tell Hotline (844-996-7233) (844-WYO-SAFE).