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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Elderly gunman shoots 3 at Cheyenne apartment complex before killing self

By Mead Gruver Associated Press

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – A gunman shot three people – killing one – at a senior citizen apartment complex in Cheyenne on Wednesday morning before killing himself as officers closed in on him, police said.

One of the three people shot by the gunman is dead, said Dan Long, spokesman for the Cheyenne Police Department. There’s no immediate word on the condition of the other two victims.

One of the victims was shot inside the complex, on Cheyenne’s northeast side, and the other two were shot outside, Long said. It’s not known yet whether the three unidentified shooting victims lived at the complex.

Long identified the deceased gunman as Larry Rosenberg, 77, a resident of the apartment complex. The shootings happened shortly after 11 a.m.

Rosenberg fled the scene after the shooting, but he killed himself as officers approached him at a location nearby, Long said. It wasn’t clear yet whether he fled on foot or by vehicle, Long said.

Police have not released information about what sort of weapons were used in the shootings. Rosenberg was found with a handgun and a rifle, Long said.

What appeared to be a covered body remained visible at the complex after the shootings. For a period of time, police officers attempted to comfort a distraught woman at the scene.

Some residents at the two-story apartment complex remained inside their rooms after the shootings while others left.

Vince DeGrazio lives across the street from the complex. He said Wednesday there are several nursing homes in the area and a fire station up the street. He said he commonly hears sirens and didn’t pay much attention when he first heard them on Wednesday.

“I bet you it’s every day you hear sirens here. Normally it’s a medical issue,” DeGrazio said.

Laramie County School District 1 locked down two elementary schools in the area at the request of law enforcement shortly after the shootings. The lockdown was lifted at 12:30 p.m.