Cheyenne Police Say Policy Violated In Suicide Of Handcuffed Man In Cop Car

CHEYENNE — In what the agency calls a “comprehensive and thorough process,” the Cheyenne Police Department announced Friday it has identified “opportunities to enhance and clarify” procedures after a handcuffed man shot and killed himself in the back of a police cruiser last month.

Aiden Hall, a 22-year-old Cheyenne man, died in the early morning hours of Jan. 18 after he was handcuffed and placed in a CPD car by officers while they investigated him for suspected driving while intoxicated following a single-vehicle crash.

Officers removed a pocketknife from Hall's front pocket after detaining Hall and prior to handcuffing him, but missed a handgun he was carrying, CPD reported in a statement released several days after the incident.

While secured in the back of the police vehicle, Hall was able to move his handcuffs from behind his back to the front of his body, then retrieved the concealed firearm from inside his pants, the statement says.

He had been left in the car while officers were investigating the crash, and they returned to discover Hall had shot himself, CPD reported, adding that they administered first aid until medical personnel arrived.

Hall was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Cheyenne Police Department conducted an internal investigation into the incident and released a report Friday stating that the review is concluded.

“The administrative review was a comprehensive and thorough process, involving a detailed examination of all available information, including body-worn and in-car camera footage from the incident, as well as a critical assessment of existing departmental policies, training, and procedures,” the report says.

While it doesn’t go into specifics about the investigation’s findings, it did identify “opportunities to enhance and clarify departmental procedures related to the search and transportation of individuals in custody.”

The department also says that “a policy violation was also identified,” but the report doesn’t elaborate on which policy or how it was violated.

Because the investigation involves confidential personnel matters, the department says more information can’t be released.

That Night

The interaction with Hall and police began in the late-night hours of Jan. 17 and early morning of Jan. 18, when Hall was about 8 miles from his Cheyenne home after spending the night out.

Near the intersection of West 9th Street and Deming Drive in south Cheyenne, he missed a turn and hit a guardrail. 

He then got out of his truck and left the scene on foot while a nearby resident called police to report the crash.

The statement about the incident the Cheyenne Police Department released five days later on Jan. 23 says officers were called to the scene at 1:17 a.m. Jan. 18.

Officers arrived to find a maroon pickup parked on the sidewalk, looking like it had struck a guardrail then come to rest on the roadside grass, the statement says.

They found a man — Hall — running along Deming Drive and spoke to him long enough to determine he was the owner of the truck. 

He “showed signs of intoxication and admitted to consuming alcohol,” the statement says.

Officers removed a pocketknife from the man's front pocket, handcuffed him, then put him in a police car and took him back to the crash scene, says the statement.

“Officers briefly stepped away to assess the crash scene and prepared to begin a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) investigation,” the CPD added.

‘He Was A Great Young Man’

Aiden’s mother Dani Hall didn’t respond prior to publication to a Cowboy State Daily inquiry about the CPD’s internal investigation and determinations.

Days after the incident, she said she had questions about how something like that could happen.

She said Aiden was training to be an electrician, and that she asked questions of a deputy coroner who viewed surveillance video from inside the car.

“Did he say anything before he did it?” Dani asked the deputy, according to her recollection. 

She said the deputy coroner’s answer was, “No, he was just crying.”

Dani also said she doesn’t want people to remember her son for the tragic end of his life.

“I want them to remember that he was a kind, kind kid who would lend a hand to anybody even if they have differing opinions,” she said. “He would be the first kid to jump in and help when needed.”

He was resourceful from a young age, she said. He turned the family barbecue grill into a metal forge so he could craft knives at age 13. 

Dani said her son loved to learn new skills.

“He’d just set his mind to it and he did it,” she said. “He was a great young man.”

No ‘Red Flags’

The Cheyenne Police Department also said in its Friday report that it is “implementing several proactive measures” to update policies and training for officers.

“Policy FLD610 pertaining to the transport of persons in custody has been updated to provide greater clarity and reinforce best practices regarding the supervision of individuals during transport,” the statement says.

It also outlines that there will be department-wide training “to ensure all personnel are familiar with these updated procedures.

“The training will focus on prisoner handling, transport protocols, and supervision requirements to prevent future incidents.”

That the CPD didn’t ask for an outside agency to also investigate Aiden Hall’s death shouldn’t be taken as a red flag, said Frank Groth, a retired career law officer now living in Gillette.

“When it comes to a question of policy, they’re going to keep that internal,” he said. “It’s when there’s something criminal involved that it’s going to go outside.”

In this case where the death was obviously suicide, it’s not reportable as “officer-involved,” which would trigger an automatic outside investigation according to standard practice with agencies in Wyoming.

“I have to believe they’re operating within their policy framework, and it seems they’re reaffirming search procedures on people in custody,” Groth said. “But that’s not a red flag.”

Never Acceptable, But Does Happen

That said, a suspect hiding a gun from officers while being detained is never acceptable, he said, adding that it does happen in some rare occasions.

He recalled one time when he was working the booking desk at a detention center in California and officers brought in a handcuffed woman. While booking her into the jail, she produced a small handgun that had been tucked under a breast.

Just last month in Marion County, Florida, a 22-year-old woman managed to conceal a handgun on her while being arrested on suspicion of meth possession.

She managed to slip a hand out of her cuffs, open the partition between the back and front seats and open fire on a deputy. The deputy returned fire and they both reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Groth said that the Cheyenne incident should be a wake-up call for all law enforcement that “if you don’t do a search carefully, you can miss something.”

And when that happens, the public isn’t very forgiving, he said.

“It’s really unfortunate that with the distrust some people have for law enforcement, they won’t be OK with just an internal investigation,” Groth said.

For its part, the Cheyenne Police Department offers “its most sincere condolences to the decedent’s family and loved ones for their loss.

“We recognize that any loss of life is a tragedy, and we understand the significant concern this incident has raised within our community,” according to Friday’s statement.

CPD Chief Mark Francisco also called the death in custody “a deeply serious event.”

“This comprehensive review was conducted to ensure we are doing everything possible to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again,” Francisco said in the statement. “We are dedicated to learning from every critical incident and will continue to serve the Cheyenne community with professionalism and integrity.”

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that the pocket knife wasn't found during officers' initial search of Hall; rather, after he was detained and prior to handcuffing him.

Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.