An officer from the US Bureau of Land Management faces a second-degree murder charge following a fatal altercation in a Wyoming bar last week. This incident, which spiraled into a violent encounter, tragically resulted in the death of a man.
While the Lander Police Department has not officially released the names of those involved, reports from Cowboy State Daily identified the accused as Richard “Deak” Dollard. The victim has been named as Evan Denevan. Alongside Dollard, two additional individuals, his brother Justin Dollard, aged 54, and his nephew Jesse Dollard, aged 21, have been charged as accessories to the crime.
This tragic event unfolded at the Maverick Restaurant Lounge, according to information obtained by WyoFile. Surveillance footage from the venue reportedly shows Jesse Dollard gesturing angrily towards Denevan, setting the stage for the subsequent confrontation initiated by the Dollard family members.
In a statement, Justin Dollard recounted that Denevan allegedly yelled, threatening to “kick your a**,” and removed his hat and glasses, appearing ready to fight. Justin claimed that Denevan was the first to strike and mentioned that at one point, his brother Richard intervened in an attempt to deescalate the tension.
Jesse Dollard shared with authorities that his father, Justin, is known for having a “hot-headed” nature and acted impulsively. He further mentioned Richard Dollard’s intervention, attributing his actions to his training in de-escalation techniques.
Jesse Dollard told police that his father — Justin Dollard — “gets hot headed” and “went after it” and that Richad Dollard broke up the fight because he is “trained in deescalation.”
But the surveillance video showed around eight to 10 people fighting when Richard Dollard’s version of deescalation — putting Denevan in a “rear naked chokehold” began. Dollard held Denevan in the chokehold for about 30 second before letting him fall to the floor limp. Justin Dollard kicked him after he fell to the floor.
The person who called 911 reported that Denevan was not breathing and was “all purple.” Witnesses attempted to revive him until police arrived and took over, but none were able to resuscitate the victim.
