Around 1:15 Thursday morning, a Cheyenne Police Officer was conducting a security check near East High School located at 2800 East Pershing Boulevard. While standing outside of his patrol vehicle, multiple shots were fired in his direction. The officer retreated to his vehicle and began to search for the shooter.
A short time later, at 1:30 a.m., an officer near the Bicycle Station, located at 2634 Dell Range Boulevard, relayed over the radio that the occupants of a white van were firing shots in his direction. The officer followed the van and activated his emergency lights and sirens to stop the vehicle.
The officer conducted a high-risk traffic stop near the intersection of North College Drive and Parkview Drive. The driver, later identified as 19-year-old William Nicholson, of Cheyenne, and his passenger, 18-year-old Tayren Smith, of Cheyenne, exited the vehicle and were arrested without incident. Inside of the van, officers collected a stolen firearm out of Fort Collins, Colorado and a bullet shell casing. Officers also recovered a video of Nicholson driving the van and shooting out of the window.
Nicholson and Smith were booked into the Laramie County Jail on the following charges:
- William Nicholson: Aggravated assault on a peace officer, conspiracy, and possession of a stolen firearm. Nicholson was also found to have an active warrant out of Platte County for failure to comply on original charges of theft.
- Tayren Smith: Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, and possession of a stolen firearm.