ROCK SPRINGS — An independent review of the April 20 deputy-involved shooting at the Sweetwater Heights apartment complex in Rock Springs found Sweetwater County Sheriff Deputy Nathaniel Hull acted lawfully. No criminal charges will be filed.

According to a press release from the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation along with Carbon County Attorney Sarah Chavez Harkins serving as the special prosecutor for the Sweetwater County Attorney’s Office. Both parties reviewed the evidence and determined that Hull’s use of deadly force was justified.

The incident began when Rock Springs Police Department officers responded to a reported hit-and-run in the apartment complex parking lot. During the response, dispatched received information that Zander Bowlin, 18, an Arkansas native living in Rock Springs, had shot himself, was suicidal, possessed several firearms and might shoot responding officers.

When officers entered the upstairs apartment, Bowlin was found in a bedroom holding a handgun to his neck. Officers repeatedly ordered him to drop the weapon before withdrawing from the apartment and beginning the evacuation of neighboring residents.

Hull arrived to assist and took a position outside the apartment building. Hull made verbal contact with Bowlin on the apartments exterior balcony. After observing that Bowling was armed, Hull remained behind cover and did not fire during those earlier encounters.

Bowlin eventually emerged carrying an AR-platform rifle. He turned toward the area where patrol vehicles, officers and residents were evacuating the building were located and lowered the rifle in their direction.

Hull ordered Bowlin to drop the rifle. Bowlin then turned the rifle toward Hull, who fired three rounds from his duty pistol, striking Bowlin.

Officers maintained cover while a tactical team entered the apartment. When tactical officers reached Bowlin, they found four firearms on him and in his immediate area. Two handguns were found in his waistband, another handgun beside him, and the AR-platform rifle along the balcony railing. Multiple recovered firearms, including the rifle, were loaded.

Emergency medical personnel treated Bowlin and transported him to Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. He was later flown to a Salt Lake City hospital where he died April 25 from injuries caused by Hull’s gunfire.

The completed investigation also clarified the nature of Bowlin’s earlier self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators did not determine whether Bowlin intended the shot to be fatal. A later medical examination found the bullet had traveled just beneath the skin of his shoulder causing little muscle damage and producing a superficial wound. The injury did not incapacitate Bowlin.

The special prosecutor concluded that Bowlin’s actions created a direct and immediate threat to Hull, other officers and apartment residents who where being evacuated. Harkins found that Hull had reasonably believed deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury that he used only the force necessary to stop the the threat.

The review found no evidence that Hull acted with ill will, malicious intent, or any unlawful purpose. Harkins final determination on July 31 declined to pursue criminal charges, bringing the prosecutorial review to a close.

“Public scrutiny is appropriate whenever a law enforcement officer uses deadly force,” Interim Sheriff Rich Fischer said in a press release. “To ensure that scrutiny, DCI investigated this incident, and an outside prosecutor reviewed the evidence. The complete record shows that Deputy Hull took cover, communicated what he was observing, repeatedly ordered Bowlin to drop his weapons, and fired only after Bowlin lowered a rifle toward officers and residents and then turned it toward Deputy Hull.”

“Two things can be true at the same time: any loss of human life is tragic, and we are also profoundly grateful that no one else was injured,” Fischer continued. “There are moments in this profession when every available option carries grave consequences, yet an officer must still make a decision in seconds. These findings confirm that Deputy Hull acted lawfully to stop an immediate threat to human life. We appreciate DCI and Special Prosecutor Harkins for their thorough and impartial work, and we appreciate the community’s patience while that work was completed.”