Police kill Wyoming man they say was trying to flee

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A Casper police officer shot and killed a man the department said was trying to flee a traffic stop early Thursday morning.

The officer, whom police did not name, shot 42-year-old Thomas Joseph Roeber after he drove off while the officer was inside the car attempting to stop him, according to a statement from the Casper Police Department.

The shooting occurred after a traffic stop shortly before 4 a.m. when two police officers pulled over a vehicle with two people inside. Police didn't say why the officers made the traffic stop, the Casper Star Tribune reported Thursday morning.

During the stop, the police statement said, the original driver unexpectedly got out of the car. The passenger, Roeber, got behind the wheel and attempted to flee, and one of the officers got into the car to try to stop him, the statement said.

Police did not explain exactly how the police officer got into the car.

Roeber drove onto Interstate 25 and into oncoming traffic, police said. At some point, the officer inside the car shot Roeber, then stopped the vehicle on the side of the road. Police did not provide further information about what happened inside the vehicle or how long the officer was inside.

Roeber was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The two officers involved in the shooting were not seriously injured. They were placed on administrative leave as is standard protocol while the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation reviews the incident.