As a manhunt continued on Sunday for a former U.S. Army soldier who allegedly gunned down a bartender and three patrons at a tavern in southwestern Montana, authorities released the names of the victims.
The suspect, 45-year-old Michael Paul Brown, allegedly opened fire with a rifle around 10:30 a.m. local time Friday at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, a city of about 9,000 people in southwestern Montana, according to the Montana Department of Justice.
"This is a dangerous individual who has committed an absolutely heinous crime against this community and these victims," Montana State Attorney General Austin Knudsen said at a news conference on Sunday, announcing an initial $7,500 reward for information leading to the capture of the suspect.
Knudsen urged anyone with information on Brown's whereabouts to call a hotline that has also been established through the U.S. Marshals Service: (877) WANTED2.
Brown lived next door to the bar and was not a stranger to the area and establishment, authorities said. Knudsen said investigators believe that Brown was familiar with most of the victims, including the bartender.
"From what I gather, it sounds like he was a regular at this establishment. He literally lives next door," Knudsen said. "I think it's likely that he knew the bartender and these patrons, which even makes it more heinous."
Knudsen said investigators believe Brown used a rifle in the shooting.
A motive remains under investigation.
Brown was in the Army from 2001 to 2005 and the National Guard from 2006 to 2009, an Army spokesperson said. He spent one year deployed in Iraq and left the service in the rank of sergeant, the Army said.
Police said they found the 2007 white Ford F-150 pickup that Brown was last seen driving on Friday, but Brown remains at large.
Numerous local, state and federal agencies are searching the area via ground and air, authorities said.