The Wyoming Capitol building, including the governor’s office, was evacuated Tuesday after a suspected explosive device was found. The grounds were searched with drones and bomb-sniffing dogs.
The evacuation began around 9:30 a.m. Late in the afternoon, authorities announced the building would not reopen the rest of the day.
Gov. Mark Gordon was among those evacuated, as well as other members of the Wyoming Stable Token Commission who were meeting in a basement-level room near the Capitol, located in Cheyenne.
Authorities did not elaborate on what was found except that it appeared homemade and not a factory produced object such as a military round, Wyoming Highway Patrol spokesperson Aaron Brown said. It was not immediately disclosed exactly where on the grounds the device was found, or if the device was rendered safe in any way.
“Whether it’s real or not, our biggest concern is safety of the public,” Brown said.
Police closed nearby streets to traffic but reopened them by evening. Workers who sheltered in place in two state office buildings connected to the Capitol by an underground passageway were allowed to leave through designated exits in the afternoon.
The governor, state auditor and state treasurer were among the committee members who halted their meeting in room off the corridor and evacuated from the area, said Amy Edmonds, the governor’s spokesperson.
Gordon was working with law enforcement and monitoring the situation, Edmonds said.
The Wyoming Capitol is home to the main offices of the governor, secretary of state, state auditor, state superintendent of public instruction, and attorney general, as well as the state House and Senate chambers.
Dating to 1890, the year that Wyoming became a state, the building reopened in 2019 following a three-year renovation.
