Hard to say where the truth lies, but it does seem like a good example of how a situation can escalate unnecessarily out of control with life changing implications. And how deescalating a situation with the language you choose can prevent a violent outcome. If as reported, the brothers would have been better to have just reported the suspicious vehicle to the cops so they could pull them over and see what they were up to. Consequently, my first thought is maybe not casing properties or looking to be porch pirates, but searching for drugs and looking for an illegal drug dealer they weren’t that familiar with. But could also be as innocent as looking for an address for a rental, or purchasing something they saw online. As I bicycle all around the town, I’ve become familiar and seen the drug addicts of our community. Even in our small city of 60,000 residents, we have an illegal drug culture and it bears out in the arrest logs that are published. And since this is a state where you can carry without a permit, be mindful that someone might be armed. Moreover, to check someone out, you can approach them and ask them politely if they need any help putting them on notice that you’ve noted them and their vehicle, and if up to no good they’ll probably leave your neighborhood.
A deadly shootout last week in Cheyenne started because one of the shooters thought a man was driving through his neighborhood “suspiciously,” court documents say. The driver reportedly shot and killed the man’s brother.
By Clair McFarland
A deadly shootout Thursday in Cheyenne started because one of the shooters thought a man was driving through his neighborhood “suspiciously,” court documents say.
Leandro F. Dominguez, 18, of Cheyenne, is charged with attempted first-degree murder in the shooting of James Gulley, 32, who’d been driving around Dominguez’s neighborhood Thursday afternoon.
Gulley survived with a foot wound, but Gulley shot and killed Dominguez’s brother Mauricio Dominguez Jr. during the shootout, according to an evidentiary affidavit filed Friday in the Cheyenne Circuit Court.
So far, the evidence indicates Gulley acted in self-defense, Laramie County District Attorney Sylvia Hackl told Cowboy State Daily in a Tuesday text message.
The affidavit, penned by Cheyenne Police Department Detective Aaron Willmarth, says officers were dispatched to the area of East 2nd and Dunn avenues in Cheyenne at about 2 p.m. for a report of a shooting.
Their interviews have led them to believe that Gulley was driving his vehicle through the neighborhood that afternoon, and Leandro Dominguez thought the vehicle was moving “suspiciously” through the area.
So, Leandro Dominguez started driving around to find Gulley.
Gulley stopped and Leandro Dominguez pulled up next to him “window to window,” says the affidavit.
Gulley got out of his vehicle to find out why Dominguez was following him.
Leandro Dominguez later told police he believed he saw the imprint of a gun in Gulley’s clothes, and he left immediately, says the affidavit.
Gulley then followed Leandro Dominguez around the neighborhood.
Leandro called his brother, Mauricio Dominguez Jr., and told him, “Be ready, this guy’s following me, let’s go,” says the affidavit.
Three Quick Gunshots
Gulley, who reportedly had his own brother and a woman with him, had stopped following Leandro Dominguez, and at about 1:58 p.m., Gulley parked on 2nd Avenue west of Dunn.
Two minutes later, the Dominguez brothers pulled up next to Gulley’s vehicle.
Mauricio Dominguez got out of his brother’s vehicle brandishing an 18-inch-long pipe wrench, the affidavit says. Gulley got out of his vehicle.
The document also says somebody captured a video of the altercation.
“Let’s go mother f***er,” says a voice in the video, according to the affidavit.
Three quick gunshots followed, which police believe Gulley fired.
Bullets Rain
Leandro left the scene, drove to his home around the corner, retrieved and loaded a semiautomatic pistol, and returned to the shootout scene, says the affidavit.
There he discovered his brother Mauricio was dead.
The affidavit says Leandro pointed his gun at Gulley, and at a 31-year-old woman who had exited the vehicle.
“Move, bitch,” he reportedly yelled at the woman.
Gulley retreated. Leandro tracked Gulley’s movements with the pistol. While moving around, Gulley retrieved his gun from his right pants pocket, says the affidavit.
Leandro fired toward Gulley, hitting him in the right foot.
Gulley’s brother, who is about 18, was also nearly struck by Leandro’s bullets as he fled from the gunfire, the document adds.
Gulley shot back at Leandro Dominguez, hitting him in the left thigh with one bullet, reportedly.
As of Monday, the Cheyenne court system reflected no criminal charges against Gulley relating to this case.
The Tally
Laramie County District Attorney Deputy Bill Edelman charged Leandro Dominguez on Friday with one count of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault.
The attempted first-degree murder charge is punishable by life in prison, while each of the three aggravated assault charges carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
The aggravated assault charges are based on different theories.
The first one alleges that Leandro Dominguez threatened Gulley’s brother with a drawn deadly weapon. The second alleges that Dominguez threatened the woman in Gulley’s vehicle with a drawn deadly weapon. The third alleges that Dominguez tried to injure James Gulley seriously with a deadly weapon.