Dusty Ray Green, a 30-year-old White man, died in Casper, Wyoming, on January 20, 2019, after police were called late that night to a home in the Paradise Valley area for a report that he had shot himself. Officers arrived at about 10:20 p.m., found him with a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. In the same incident, a female was also shot and taken to Wyoming Medical Center, where she was treated for her injuries.
In the days that followed, Natrona County Coroner Connie Jacobson publicly identified him and said an autopsy would not be conducted. What emerged from the official statements reported at the time was a picture of a sudden, devastating night—one that left a second person hurt, and a household and neighborhood reeling as authorities worked to understand the circumstances around the shooting.
No suspect or suspects were announced in connection with his death, and no arrests were reported in the accounts of the investigation that were made public alongside the coroner's identification. The available reporting framed the fatal wound as self-inflicted, with law enforcement responding to an emergency call rather than pursuing an outside assailant.
Away from the scene itself, the life described by those who knew him was fuller than the last moments that made the news. He was born October 11, 1988, in La Mesa, California, and later graduated from Natrona County High School in Casper. He entered the United States Army on November 5, 2009, and his obituary notes that he was proud of his service and the badges and achievements he earned along the way. A memorial service was scheduled for February 9, 2019, at Newcomer in Casper.
