All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
(Riverton, WY) – 18-year-old Reece Blackburn and 19-year-old Dale Eagle have been arrested and charged following the execution of warrants last week, which stemmed from a shooting incident that occurred on March 3 in Riverton. The shooting resulted in the death of 18-year-old Charlie Washington, according to charging documents that were made publicly available following the execution of the warrants.
Blackburn was ultimately charged with manslaughter, aggravated assault and battery, and possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent. Eagle was charged with accessory before the fact to involuntary manslaughter, as well as possession, manufacture, or disposition of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent.
According to the affidavit filed on May 12, Riverton Police officers were dispatched to an apartment in Riverton after receiving a report that a “firearm discharge resulted in one fatality, with the individual sustaining a gunshot wound to the head.” That individual was later identified in the affidavit as Washington, who was found deceased in the apartment. Officers soon located a bullet hole on the wall, and a 9mm handgun was found on the living room floor.
The affidavit states that an autopsy later determined the death to be a homicide, “caused by a single perforating gunshot wound to the head.”
A March 5 interview was conducted with a subject who was in the living room during the incident, who told investigators that Blackburn and Eagle were “rough playing while Washington was watching videos on his tablet.” The subject said that Blackburn “produced a firearm from his shirt pocket… removed the magazine from the firearm and removed one cartridge from the chamber of the firearm.” He described the cartridge as being “gold in color with a smooth, round projectile” to investigators.
The subject then stated that Blackburn “pointed the firearm at Washington” and stated “in a joking manner, something to the effect of he was going to ‘kill’ him,” before pulling the trigger with the empty chamber.
The affidavit notes that Eagle took a picture of Blackburn with a cellphone while this occurred.
Blackburn then handed the firearm to Eagle, the affidavit continues, at which point he also pointed the firearm at Washington and said he was going to “murk” him. Blackburn also took a photo of Eagle as he did this, before the firearm was passed back to Blackburn.
At this point, Blackburn “loaded the magazine back into the firearm and pulled the slide to the rear and released,” and again “pointed the firearm at Washington and pulled the trigger,” but this time the gun fired due to the chambered round, striking Washington in the head.
The affidavit goes on to state that Blackburn “threw the firearm down and began jumping up and down waving his hands,” and made statements that he “did not mean to do that,” before he and Eagle ultimately “ran from the residence.”
The subject on scene who provided details to investigators went on to share that Blackburn told him that the gun was “stolen during a car-hopping,” and that he had never seen it before.
Court documents then inform that a “firearm trace (ETrace)” was conducted. It was found that the original owner of the firearm was deceased, and that it “may have been gifted to a neighbor of the owner” before being “possibly stolen during a vehicle theft incident in 2024.”
A female subject who was also in the living room at the time of the incident was later interviewed, who stated that she was “in and out of sleep when the gun went off.” She informed investigators that Eagle and Blackburn had been hanging out on March 2, where they made plans to “walk around with the gun and take pictures with it to post on social media.” She stated that Blackburn and Eagle were talking about taking more pictures with the gun and that she saw the “flasher” go off just prior to the gunshot. She added that Eagle “ran out of the apartment” as soon as the gun went off, and that she observed Blackburn holding the gun and stating he “did not mean to do it.”
The affidavit states that search warrants were later executed, which uncovered photos and videos uploaded to social media on March 2. The videos showed Blackburn and Washington “drinking alcohol together,” and there were “several mirror selfies of Blackburn holding what appeared to be the same gun involved in the shooting.” The selfies show Blackburn “holding the firearm with his index finger on the trigger and the muzzle pointed upward, as well as another image of him holding the gun upside down,” and another photo shows “a close-up of the gun with a gloved hand holding it on its palm.”
Search warrants also further revealed conversations between Eagle and his family members, where he informed them that “Blackburn accidentally shot Washington,” and that he “did not see Blackburn inserting the magazine into the gun.”
Blackburn and Eagle were later detained after warrants for their arrest were executed. Eagle’s preliminary hearing took place this morning, May 22, and Blackburn’s is scheduled for May 27.
County 10 will provide updates on the cases as they progress.