Casper man who allegedly held toddler ‘like a shield’ faces four misdemeanors

A 19-year-old Casper man who allegedly held an 18-month-old child “like a shield” in an armed standoff over the weekend faces four misdemeanor charges for the incident. Brayden Donald Randolph appeared in court Monday and is free on a $7,500 cash or surety bond.

Casper police were called by a neighbor about 9:30 p.m. Saturday. The neighbor reported yelling in a four-apartment complex on the 1000 block of St. John Street and an apparent gunshot. A neighbor told Cowboy State Daily that when he arrived home around 6 p.m., he initially heard singing, yelling and a party atmosphere. When he went outside after hearing the gunshot, he saw two young people fleeing in a vehicle and heard Randolph threatening to kill them.

A police affidavit states an officer went to Randolph’s apartment and knocked. Randolph yelled through the door telling the officer to leave. “Randolph yelled he had a gun,” the affidavit states. He closed the blinds to limit the officer’s view inside. The officer saw broken glass on the floor and a vodka bottle on the kitchen counter. He also saw Randolph pick up an AR-style firearm with the butt stock removed and try to put it back on.

Officers were advised that a small child was in the residence. Shortly after, Randolph was seen walking into the living room holding the child’s hand. He opened the door, told officers to leave, and had a handgun in his waistband. He then reappeared holding the 18-month-old child “like a shield” and grabbed the handgrip of the handgun. “Randolph told officers he had a gun and officers had guns and Randolph challenged officers to get him,” the affidavit states.

Another officer spoke with a 20-year-old man who had fled the house. He told police that Randolph had fired a gun during an argument and that he and another man left. The child’s mother arrived around 9:35 p.m. and tried unsuccessfully to contact Randolph multiple times.

A Natrona County Sheriff’s Office negotiator was called to the scene but could not establish contact with Randolph over more than two hours. Randolph also did not respond to public address commands from police vehicles. A warrant for his arrest was requested around 11:30 p.m.

Two officers went to the north side of the ground-floor apartment and saw Randolph sleeping on the floor on his back, with the child asleep on his shoulder. No weapons were visible. Officers tried to use a key from Randolph’s vehicle to enter, but when that failed, they used a door ram. They removed the child, and Randolph “tried to resist.” While being handcuffed, he attempted to roll away and grabbed an officer’s foot. The officer broke his hold, and Randolph was detained. A loaded firearm was found underneath him.