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Casper braces for protests as gay student buried
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| Matthew Shepard | |
Web posted at: 9:43 a.m. EDT (1343 GMT)
CASPER, Wyoming (CNN) -- Bracing for potential violence, Wyoming officials have brought out bomb-sniffing dogs and banned protests in hopes of protecting the family of Matthew Shepard on Friday, the day of the slain student's funeral.
Shepard, 21, died Monday at a Colorado hospital, five days after he was found tied to a fence in near-freezing temperatures outside Laramie. The University of Wyoming student had been pistol-whipped and abandoned.
Two 21-year-old men have been charged with murder in Shepard's death. Police say their primary motive was robbery, but that Shepard was singled out because he was gay.
Casper has reportedly received threats of violence from groups and individuals protesting Shepard's homosexuality. In addition, an anti-homosexual Baptist group from Topeka, Kansas, has threatened to demonstrate during Shepard's funeral, scheduled for Friday afternoon.
During an emergency meeting on Thursday, the Casper City Council voted to ban all protesters from demonstrating within 50 feet of the funeral service.
Police are also using bomb-sniffing dogs to make sure the church where the funeral will be held is safe.
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"It's sad that we have to do this -- that the sanctity of a funeral is not upheld," said Casper City Councilman Tim Monroe.
The ban prohibits people from picketing on sidewalks, streets and other areas next to the memorial service.
"We've never faced this before," said Councilman Paul Bertoglio, who said the city is trying to keep peace among the potential protesters while taking pressure off the Shepards and other relatives.
"One of the things we're trying to do, besides protecting those who want to protest on both sides, is protecting family and relatives to allow them to breathe in peace," Bertoglio said.
Gov. Jim Geringer has said Wyoming officials can not stop the anti-homosexual group from Topeka's Westboro Baptist from coming to Casper, but that the group's presence was not wanted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.