Montana bar shooting suspect taken into custody after weeklong manhunt
The former U.S. Army soldier accused of gunning down four people at a Montana bar has been captured following a weeklong manhunt, the Granite County Sheriff's Office said Friday.
Michael Paul Brown, 45, is suspected of opening fire on Aug. 1 at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, a city of about 9,000 people in southwestern Montana, authorities said.
He shed his clothes and fled the scene following the shooting in a stolen vehicle, according to officials. There had not been a confirmed sighting of him in the days afterward.
"One week ago today, devastation struck this small Montana community of Anaconda," Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said during a press briefing on Friday.
"'Thank you' does not cover what we owe to these brave men and women," he said. "Sacrifice, time away from families, placing their lives on the line to bring peace of mind back to this community and this criminal to justice."
At approximately 2 p.m. on Friday, authorities apprehended and arrested the suspect "near the search area in Anaconda," Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said.
Knudsen said he believes a large law enforcement presence on a hill in the search area on Thursday -- about 130 personnel -- helped in ultimately locating the suspect.
"We think that was directly correlated to flushing him out today -- getting him down into an area that we know we had searched before," Knudsen said during a press briefing on Friday. "It was not someplace he'd been hiding. He was flushed out."
The suspect was armed, according to Knudsen, who did not elaborate on the weapon. Brown is now in custody of Anaconda-Deer Lodge County authorities, Knudsen said.
The homicide investigation remains ongoing, Anaconda Deer Lodge County Attorney Morgan Smith said during Friday's press briefing. No details will be released at this time "to ensure the fairness and the integrity of the case as it moves forward," she said.
Those killed in the shooting were bartender Nancy Loretta Kelly, 64, and patrons Daniel Edwin Bailey, 59; David Allen Leach, 70; and Tony Wayne Palm, 74.
Brown lived next door to the bar and investigators believe he was familiar with most of the victims, authorities said.
He is an Army veteran who served in the Iraq War and the Montana National Guard, according to Knudsen.
Over 250 law enforcement personnel were involved in the search effort in the area from more than 39 local, state and federal agencies, according to Knudsen.
Gianforte said law enforcement personnel "spent hours climbing over these mountains looking for this criminal." The governor attributed the length of the search to the terrain.
"It took a week because of the country he was in," Gianforte said.
Montana Sen. Steve Daines thanked the "brave law enforcement officials who helped apprehend the Anaconda shooting suspect."
"For the past week, Anaconda and the surrounding community showed the country the resilience and grit that makes MT special," he said on social media. "Our thoughts continue to be with the victims and their families."
