BREAKING: Law Enforcement Response Near Ft. Sanders Road South of Laramie
UPDATE 6:20 p.m. The police removed a male from the house wearing handcuffs. Albany County Undersheriff Josh DeBree will soon hold a debriefing. We will update this post with video as soon as we can.
UPDATE 5:15 p.m. An officer was overheard saying “Come out with your hands raised or we will deploy gas.”
No one has responded to the law enforcement negotiations.
Update 3:55 p.m. There are about 10 police vehicles on the scene. There are sheriffs, highway patrol, deputies and police cars. Our reporter on the scene hears what he believes is a negotiator giving a person at the residence commands through a megaphone to "come out with your hands up."
There are two ambulances staged nearby. All law enforcement and first responders are wearing what appears to be protective vests, and some law enforcement officers are wearing rifles. Albany County Sheriff Dave O'Malley is on scene.
Traffic to the location is blocked. Fort Sanders is completely blocked. Traffic should divert and take the appropriate exit on 287.
Our original story is below.
A special response team comprised of Laramie police officers and Albany County Sheriff's deputies is reportedly working a scene in the area of Fort Sanders Road south of Laramie.
Witnesses report an ambulance on scene as well. The response has evidently been underway for hours.
Steve Morgan, public safety answering point administrator, said providing information about the nature of the incident would put first responders in harm's way.
Albany County School District One is not being allowed to bus students into the area out of safety concerns. Instead, buses will stop and wait at the corner of Bluebird and U.S. 287.
Students will not be dropped off at the intersection; rather they will wait for parents to pick up children. If it gets too late, the buses will return to school and officials will work to make other arrangements with parents.
Stuart Nelson, district safety director, said the district is trying to inform all parents, but only had about five minutes notice before buses ran Monday afternoon.
Police refused to comment on the response, as it is within the jurisdiction of the Albany County Sheriff's Office. No sheriff's office employees could answer questions about the incident Monday afternoon.
But the presence of the special response team indicates it is a potentially dangerous situation.
"The special response team is used for situations and calls that are beyond the scope of patrol officers and deputies," Lt. Gwen Smith of the Laramie Police Department said over the phone Monday afternoon.
The team responds to "any type of call that might require special munitions such as gas, or a call that would require a negotiator," Smith added. "High-risk types of calls."
We are currently pursuing more information, and we'll provide updates as we learn more.