Military veteran Michael Paul Brown, 45, is suspected of carrying out a shooting at a Montaba bar that left four people dead. A manhunt is currently underway, with Brown still to be caught as authorities search for him across a mountainous area.
Videos by Suggest
As reported by The Associated Press, the incident occurred at around 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 1. The shooting took place at The Owl Bar in the city of Anaconda, and Brown reportedly lived next door.
Allegedly, Brown killed everyone inside, which included bartender Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64, and patrons Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59, David Allen Leach, 70, and Tony Wayne Palm, 74, as reported by The New York Times.
David Gwerder, the bar’s owner, detailed that he was unaware of any animosity between Brown and the four people he allegedly shot dead.
“He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that,” Gwerder said, as per the AP. “He didn’t have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped.”
Following the shooting, it is believed that Brown fled in a white pickup, which was subsequently ditched and located.
Former U.S. Soldier
Michael Paul Brown, as reported by The New York Times, joined the U.S. Army in January 2001. He served in Iraq between 2004 and 2005, leaving the service in May 2005. He was a member of the Montana National Guard for two years until March 2008.
Brown’s relatives revealed to the outlet that he suffered from mental illness. Specifically, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, a condition that worsened after his mother died in 2021. Furthermore, this was corroborated by Clare Boyle, Brown’s niece, who told the AP that Brown was a “sick man who doesn’t know who he is sometimes.”
Meanwhile, the residents of Anaconda are currently living in fear.
“It’s a heavy and sad and intense time,” resident Hope Hollingsworth told NBC News. “This is hurting everyone. It’s just a beautiful and just and kind community that this is going to impact us for a long time.”
Brown’s house was cleared by a SWAT team following the shooting, and he was last seen in the Stump Town area west of Anaconda. As a result, approximately 16 square miles of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest remain closed through August 16. Authorities have asked the public to go about their business but to remain cautious.