Authorities: Mom killed 3 children, wounded 4th in northern Wyoming

LOVELL—Authorities believe that a woman shot her four children at their Byron home on Monday afternoon before turning the gun on herself.

Three of the children died at the residence while the fourth was reported to be fighting for her life in a Utah hospital as of Monday evening. The children’s mother was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the head with her status unclear on Tuesday.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to all those who are affected and grieving by this extremely horrible and tragic incident,” Big Horn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn wrote in a Tuesday news release.

In an update the same day, Blackburn said the children’s mother had called 911 around 1:30 p.m. Monday and reported that her children had been shot. Though the release from the sheriff’s office didn’t name the 32-year-old woman, authorities confirmed to the Lovell Chronicle it was Tranyelle Harshman, a former Powell resident.

Harshman told dispatchers that “two children would be located upstairs in their cribs and two children would be located downstairs in their shared bedroom,” the release said. “The caller further stated she could be found in her upstairs bedroom and that she was going to do the same to herself.”

Although a dispatcher pleaded with the woman to stay on the line until first responders arrived, she “stated multiple times that she could not do that and that it was too late,” the release said, and the call was disconnected.

When personnel from the sheriff’s office, the Wyoming Highway Patrol and the Lovell Police Department arrived at the scene, they “observed multiple victims of gunshots within the residence, both alive and deceased,” Blackburn wrote, with one child dying soon after they arrived. 

The three deceased were identified by the sheriff’s office as girls who were 2, almost 3 and 9.

The surviving child, a 7-year-old girl, was rushed to North Big Horn Hospital in Lovell and then airlifted to Billings, according to further reporting by the Chronicle. 

Once stabilized, she was flown to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City for further treatment of serious head injuries.

Tranyelle Harshman was also found alive but severely injured with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. She was transported by ground ambulance to Billings.

The two oldest girls were students at Rocky Mountain Elementary School in Cowley, and Principal Eric Honeyman sent a Monday afternoon message to staff and parents about the shooting.

“This loss will deeply affect our communities, and our thoughts are with both of these girls, their families and friends during this incredibly difficult time,” Honeyman wrote.

He added that the school had counselors available on site for anyone who might need assistance in processing the loss, and he encouraged parents to reach out for any additional resources their children may need.

“We will make every effort to help you and your child,” Honeyman wrote.

Efforts are also underway to support the girls’ family members, including their father/stepfather, Cliff Harshman, a former Powell resident.

“This devastating event has left Cliff and his loved ones reeling in grief, struggling to come to terms with the immense void left in their lives,” Brodie Bosick wrote on a GoFundMe page, adding that the community is “rallying around him to offer love, support, and financial assistance during this darkest of times.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 600 donors had contributed roughly $47,000 to the online campaign.

In Tuesday’s news release, Blackburn thanked the highway patrol, Lovell police and the other agencies that assisted the sheriff’s office — including ambulance crews from North Big Horn Hospital and Powell Valley Hospital, Cody Regional Health’s First Flight of Wyoming and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.

“The brave men and women of our local emergency service teams ran into a rapidly, intense, evolving situation selflessly to serve their community and preserve life,” Blackburn wrote. 

The nightmare they witnessed “should be something that no one should have to endure,” he said.

The sheriff asked citizens in Wyoming or anywhere across the country to take a moment to thank and support all first responders.

He added that the investigation into the shooting is “open and ongoing.”

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