What to know
- Casper police released body camera footage showing officers fatally shooting a 37-year-old woman after she opened her front door holding a handgun during a reported burglary call she had made.
- A dog jumped on one of the officers as the door opened, and the armed woman yelled at police before raising her gun.
- The woman was fatally shot by police, and the shooting is under investigation.
By Dylan Farrell
Source Casper Star Tribune, Wyo.
The Casper Police Department released bodycam footage of the April 28 deadly shooting of Jody Cobia.
The video footage shows a Casper Police officer slowly approaching a McKinley Street home's front door just after midnight.
The street is black; the video is illuminated by the house's porch light and intermittent use of flashlights by the responding officers.
As a person, identified in the video only as Officer #1, approaches the front door, Cobia, 37, opens it slowly.
A dog, much resembling a German Shepherd, immediately escapes through the crack, jumping on Officer 1. The dog's posture doesn't seem hostile, but as the door opens further, Cobia is revealed to be holding a handgun.
Shortly before she was shot, she can be heard screaming, "Where the f--k are my children?" before raising the weapon.
Five shots can be heard in the ensuing confrontation. The footage indicates all five came from officers.
Police entered the home after the confrontation to investigate the reported robbery.
Medical services were requested roughly four minutes after officers shot Cobia, according to the video. Shots concluded and were radioed in at 12:06 a.m.
Emergency Medical Services were requested at 12:10. EMS was cleared to enter the scene just before 12:14 a.m. after officers cleared the home.
Prior to the bodycam footage, the video police uploaded to YouTube includes 911 call audio from the initial burglary report.
The reporting party, who police identified in a prior news release as Cobia, told a dispatcher the purported burglar is dressed in all black and has a weapon.
"No, he's wearing all black," Cobia told the dispatcher. "Please show up."
Throughout the audio, Cobia sounds agitated when the dispatcher asks questions. She also said she was "in the back room."
In response to more questions and after the dispatcher assures Cobia that officers are on the way, Cobia said to "hurry up."
The dispatcher clarified: "And you're in the back room?"
"Yeah, I'm running away from him," Cobia responded. No heavy breathing or other indicators of rapid movement are audible.
After the operator asks "have you seen him," the caller hangs up.
Representatives of the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, which is handling the investigation, were unable to immediately comment on Friday.
A Casper Police spokesperson also was unable to immediately respond for comment.
The DCI will hand over its findings to Natrona County District Attorney's Office, who will in turn determine whether it is appropriate to file charges.
"Any loss of life in our community is tragic," according to a Casper Police news release Friday. " The Casper Police Department recognizes the impacts of these significant events on the loved ones of the deceased and on our entire community. Our condolences are with all those affected by this incident."
Police said the release of the bodycam footage was coordinated with DCI "to ensure it does not compromise the integrity of the investigation," which is ongoing.
____________________
© 2025 Casper Star Tribune, Wyo..
Visit www.trib.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
