Cheyenne shooting suspect released from custody five days earlier

CHEYENNE – A Cheyenne man charged in a fatal shooting earlier this week was released from custody five days earlier because prosecutors declined to move forward with a pending case of misdemeanor theft and misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine.

Andrew Weaver, 25, had his initial appearance on the newest charges Thursday afternoon in Laramie County Circuit Court. He faces two counts of second-degree murder, one count of attempted second-degree murder, and two counts of aggravated assault and battery with bodily injury with a weapon.

After being arrested Sept. 8 on the two misdemeanor charges, he was released Sept. 11 because Laramie County District Attorney Leigh Anne Manlove’s office declined to press charges, said Linda Gesell, spokeswoman for the Laramie County Sheriff’s Department. Officials from the DA’s office didn’t return calls from the Wyoming Tribune Eagle seeking comment on why they declined to prosecute the earlier case.

Circuit Judge Denise Nau referenced the Sept. 8 case during Weaver’s initial appearance Thursday. His bond was set at $1 million cash, and Nau told Weaver he had to fill out an affidavit for a public defender if he wanted a court-appointed attorney.

Earlier in the day, there was some confusion because Weaver was allegedly refusing to fill out an affidavit because he thought he already had an attorney.

According to court documents:

On Sept. 8, Weaver stole a Century Arms 9mm handgun from William Pharoah. Weaver had been staying with Pharoah, and one morning, when Pharoah woke up, Weaver and the gun were gone.

When Weaver was located, officers also found methamphetamine in Weaver’s wallet. During this incident, Weaver told law enforcement he was under the influence of methamphetamine and was suicidal.

On Sept. 16, Weaver went to 3436 E. 11th St. and shot four people, killing two. Shaline Wymer was found dead at the residence with a gunshot wound to her head, and Adrien Butler was also shot in the head and declared dead at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.

One 14-year-old boy was shot in the hand, head, and stomach and airlifted to Children’s Hospital Colorado for his wounds. Another 14-year-old was shot in the face, but didn’t suffer life-threatening injuries because he was shot through the cheek.

A fifth person, Armando Butler, was shot at but was able to avoid being shot by falling to the floor. While he was lying on the floor, Adrien Butler was shot and fell on top of him.

When officers found Weaver in a field by Ashley Furniture on Nationway, he was in possession of a silver-and-black Smith and Wesson 9mm semiautomatic handgun.

Weaver went to the residence to trade a gun for drugs, a different handgun or money, according to court documents. He told officers he had bought methamphetamine from Adrien Butler in the past.

Weaver told officers he started shooting because he felt threatened at the residence when people asked him why he unloaded the gun. He said he loaded the gun after people started asking him questions, and when people started moving, he began shooting.

Weaver said he shot the two boys when they tried to run from the bedroom, and he knew they were children.

He told officers he had “always wanted to shoot someone, and that he had wanted to kill Adrien (Butler) for a while.” Officers said Weaver also told them he wanted to be a killer.

Earlier that day, Weaver was driving around with two witnesses and told them “he wanted to know what it felt like to murder someone.” The witnesses dropped Weaver off near the residence where the shooting occurred and, a short while later, they heard gunshots.