Montana authorities are searching a rugged landscape for an ex-US military personnel, who is believed to have been involved in the fatal shooting of four people at a bar.
In the small town of Anaconda, Montana, a tragic incident unfolded at The Owl Bar when four people lost their lives in a shooting. The victims were the bartender and three patrons present at the bar.
Michael Paul Brown, a 45-year-old former US soldier, is believed to be the perpetrator. Brown, who lived next door to the bar, served in the U.S. Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and was a member of the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009. He left military service in the rank of sergeant and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005.
David Gwerder, the owner of The Owl Bar, stated that Brown knew all the victims but had no prior disputes with them. This suggests that they were acquaintances or at least familiar with each other through the bar, but no close personal conflicts have been reported.
Authorities are urging residents to stay at home and be on high alert, with Lee Johnson, administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, issuing the warning. Brown is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous, and authorities are actively seeking him.
Businesses in Anaconda, a town of about 9,000 people located in western Montana, approximately 25 miles northwest of Butte, have been affected by the incident. The owner of the Firefly Café, for instance, locked up her business due to the shooting. The town was reported to be "rattled" due to the lockdown.
The victims' names have not been released, with authorities citing the need to notify their families first. Brown fled the scene in a white pickup truck but later abandoned it. A search was conducted in the Stumptown Road area west of Anaconda by ground and air, but as of now, Brown remains at large.
[1] Clare Boyle, Brown's niece, stated that her uncle has struggled with mental illness for years. [2] Gwerder also stated that he was not aware of any conflicts between Brown and any of the victims. [3] No new information about the victims or their names was provided in this paragraph.
- The tragic shooting incident at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana, has sparked concern about mental health, as Clare Boyle, Brown's niece, comments that Brown has struggled with mental illness for years.
- Although Michael Paul Brown served in war-and-conflicts as a US soldier in Iraq, David Gwerder, the owner of The Owl Bar, affirms that he was not aware of any personal conflicts between Brown and the victims.
- The general-news coverage about the Anaconda shooting has yet to reveal any specific details about the victims, despite the owner of the Firefly Café locking up her business due to the incident and the town being reported as "rattled" by the lockdown.
