The Cheyenne Police Department was involved in a vehicle pursuit on January 28, at about 12:30 a.m. that ended with the suspect driver shooting himself. Charles Reno, 38, of Cheyenne, suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after being pursued by police.
A Cheyenne Police Officer observed Reno driving a stolen Chevy Avalanche near 12 th St. and Cleveland Ave. The officer initiated a traffic stop but Reno did not stop, instead he led officers on a pursuit. The pursuit went through the Sun Valley neighborhood on Meadow Dr. and the Avalanche crossed Taft Ave., then drove through a ditch near the Pershing Pointe
Apartments. The Avalanche left the apartment complex by driving between several apartment buildings and back onto Pershing Blvd. The truck was traveling at a high rate of speed, causing it to launch into the air and disable the vehicle when it landed on Pershing Blvd. When officers attempted to contact Reno in the Avalanche, they found that he was shot in the head and he was pronounced dead on scene.
The passenger of the vehicle, Samantha Smith, 28, of Cheyenne, was arrested on outstanding warrants from Goshen County and interference when officers determined Smith was falsely identifying herself as somebody else. Officers also found a misdemeanor amount of suspected methamphetamine on Smith. Smith was transported to Cheyenne Regional Medical
Center and then to the Laramie County Jail.
When the Avalanche entered the apartment complex, it struck a gas line and an electrical box causing gas and electrical services to be interrupted. Cheyenne Fire and Rescue assisted the CPD in evacuating the nearby apartments. Electricity and gas services are still being restored to the apartments. This case remains under investigation by the CPD.
Officer Kevin Malatesta, Public Information Officer, 307-633- 6653, kmalatesta@cheyennepd.org
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