This is a kind of an interesting story for a few reasons. A Wyoming trans woman named Rihanna Kelver is being charged for pulling a gun on a person in the street. Kelver has vowed to fight the charges and claims it was a case of self-defense.
Let’s start from the beginning. The incident took place last September.
Kelver was standing outside the Crowbar at about 10 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2025, when an altercation unfolded after a man shouted something about the bar.
Most of the other facts of the case are disputed.
There is video showing the altercation, but it has no audio so there’s a dispute about what exactly was said that got all this going.
“They had kind of looked over at us and yelled, ‘Fuck the Crowbar, that fag bar should close down,’” Kelver alleged during her interview with The Laramie Reporter.
The man’s own account of his outburst included no mention of slurs. The affidavit recounts what he allegedly told police:
“S.D. yelled ‘fuck the Crowbar’ because he likes the Buckhorn Bar better.”
Kelver was a manager and bartender at the Crowbar and appears to have taken that personally.
“I had stood up and just yelled, ‘Hey, what the f***?’ And they had all turned their attention even more so towards me,” Kelver told the Reporter. “This was a while ago, so exactly what was yelled at me is kind of mixed up, but the first thing yelled, I remember specifically, was: ‘You heard me, you f***ing f****t … And they continue yelling, you know: ‘What are you going to f***ing do about it, f****t? Like, ‘I’ll f*** you up,’ and similar threats…
Again, this is Kelver’s version of events. The other man, Scott Durham, claims he only yelled something like “F*** the Crowbar.” Kelver then crossed the street to confront Durham. Durham shoved Kelver back and Kelver took a step and fell down in the crosswalk. That’s when Kelver pulled out a gun.
The man identified as S.D. pushed Kelver to the ground, and Kelver responded by drawing a firearm from her satchel, a teal SCCY .380 subcompact pistol.
Kelver racked the slide and pointed it at Durham as he crossed the street. Was this self-defense or something else?
When police showed up, Durham was allowed to walk and eventually Kelver was arrested. Here’s where the story gets interesting. In an initial police interview on the street, Kelver claimed to have pulled a knife rather than a gun.
In her first interview with [Police officer] Rope, Kelver claimed she had pulled a knife, not a gun, from her bag. She also told police that she had a gun in the glovebox of her car, which is noted in the affidavit.
“Kelver said she attempted to pull a knife from their pocket but dropped it when she hit the ground,” the affidavit alleges. “Kelver described the knife as black with a silver blade, purchased from Pole Mountain Pharmacy. Kelver stated the knife was a folding type with a spring hinge and that the blade never fully extended before it fell from their hand.”
Kelver offered all sorts of excuses for why this happened.
“At this time, I was very shaken, and I really could not think straight,” she said. “I, at that point, didn’t even really know what had happened, what was going on.”…
Kelver said her mental health conditions also likely played a part in her confusion. She said she is diagnosed with bipolar II disorder and ADHD, both of which can impact memory formation. She said she also manages complex PTSD, which can similarly influence memory.
Anyway, Kelver realized this “mistake” and corrected the record, showing police the gun. Looks like I can’t embed the video. The NY Times has it so if you have access you can view it here. It’s also available here. One thing I notice is that Kelver has a hand on the bag with the gun while crossing the street. The police officer noted this as well:
At approximately [10:03 p.m.], Kelver appears to be in close proximity to S.D. with her hand on her right hip satchel, where the firearm was later located. [One second later], Kelver is pushed backwards by S.D. and takes a couple of steps back and falls to the ground, still with her hand to her right side … Kelver’s right hand removes what appears to be a firearm from the satchel on her right hip, grabs the firearm slide, and pulls it backwards, typically in a fashion to load a round into the chamber … Kelver, after pulling the firearm slide back, points the firearm to her left, where S.D. is present on camera, holding the firearm in her right hand.
Wyoming has a “Stand your ground” law so did this count as self-defense? Kelver claims she was surrounded by three men but if you watch the video one of those men crossed the street before anything happened. Both of the other two walked around Kelver and didn’t seem to be presenting any threat at all. In fact, Scott Durham seems to be looking away when the gun is aimed at him. He looks back to see it as he’s already walked past Kelver.
On the other hand, Durham did push Kelver but it’s not clear he intended to knock her down or if Kelver just fell while backpedaling. Also, was having a hand on the hip while crossing the street meant to be a threat in a cowboy town?
Kelver is now facing aggravated assault for drawing and pointing the gun. Durham was not charged with anything for the shove. Kelver also faces a misdemeanor for, apparently, lying about pulling a knife instead of a gun.
I’m torn on this one. On the one hand, I think it’s clear Kelver was looking for a confrontation and ready to draw. On the other hand, Durham’s shove could be seen as assault. Did Durham lie about yelling anti-gay slurs? Possibly, again there’s no audio. Did Kelver lie about the knife? Definitely, but admitted it later. Is this a legitimate stand your ground case?
I’m not sure Durham’s shove was intended to cause harm, though Kelver says it did, creating back problems. Kelver says the safety was on the gun and there was never any intent to fire, just to warn. So I’m not sure where to come down on this one other than to say I’m glad no one was shot.
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