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    Local man charged with threatening a federal officer following April 29 shooting incident

    All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

    (Fort Washakie, WY) – Fort Washakie man Leo Barnaby II, 45, was arrested on April 30 after he was charged with “threatening a federal law enforcement officer,” according to a release issued by the FBI Denver Field Office on May 1.

    On April 29, Barnaby reportedly threatened to “assault and murder” an FBI Special Agent, “with intent to impede and intimidate and interfere” with the performance of their duties, and with the “intent to retaliate against” the Agent due to their performance of said duties, according to a criminal complaint docket filed on May 1.

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    According to the report, the Special Agent was contacted in the early morning hours of April 29 in regards to a shooting incident involving Leo Barnaby and another individual, who both reportedly suffered gunshot wounds and were transported to a nearby hospital.

    Barnaby’s injuries were determined to most likely be from bullet fragments, while the other party’s injuries were serious enough to be air flighted to another hospital to be treated by a vascular surgeon, the report states.

    Upon making contact with Barnaby at the hospital, the Special Agent stated that he was initially cooperative and willing to be interviewed.

    Barnaby informed the Special Agent that he and the other injured party were driving in his truck in the Fort Washakie area, when they stopped near a residence where a reported bonfire was occurring.

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    According to Barnaby’s statements in the reports, the men at the bonfire began shooting at his truck, at which point he drove away and made his way home, eventually being transported to the hospital.

    About 15 minutes after making this contact with Barnaby, the Wind River Police Department received reports of the incident from an individual at the bonfire.

    According to that individual’s statements, Barnaby had driven onto the driveway of the residence and “someone in the pickup started shooting at them,” prompting them to return fire with an AR-15.

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    Approximately two hours later, the initial Special Agent and another agent attempted to make contact with Barnaby to confirm the location of the shooting, at which point Barnaby reportedly wanted to take the agents directly to the house.

    The report then states that when the agents told Barnaby they didn’t want him to go back to that house, he became “very agitated and then angry,” soon commenting that he had “guns in his house and he was going to use them.”

    Barnaby then reportedly told the Special Agent that he was going to “do to him” what was done to another party the Agent knew to have been shot in the back of the head at close range, and also threatened to “put a gun to the back of my head and kill me.”

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    The report goes on to say that Barnaby said he was going to “use the rifle in his house to shoot” the Special Agent, that he repeated these threats “several times,” and also threatened the other Agent on scene.

    After being informed by the Special Agent that those types of threats are a crime with “real consequences,” Barnaby reportedly continued as the Agents proceeded to leave the scene, ultimately resulting in a warrant for his arrest issued on May 1.

    Threatening a federal officer is punishable by a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, three years supervised release and $100 special assessment.

    Barnaby’s initial appearance was held today before the Honorable Judge Teresa McKee, with ensuing court dates to be shared in the coming days.

    County 10 will provide updates to the case as they become available.

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