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ANACONDA, Mont. – An Army veteran suspected in a bar shooting massacre that claimed four lives in a rural western town of 9,000 people sparked a massive manhunt that lasted a full week.
Michael Paul Brown, 45, of Anaconda, Montana, was the state’s most wanted man until his time on the lam ended near a barn just under six miles from the scene of his horrific crime. Now he is behind bars, where he is likely to remain for the rest of his life.
Below is a timeline of the shooting, and events that followed.
Friday, Aug. 1
At around 10:30 a.m. local time, Brown entered The Owl Bar in Anaconda, a local watering hole where he was known to be a regular, and opened fire. He lived next door to the bar and “likely knew these patrons,” according to Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen.
Brown was almost immediately identified as the suspect. A SWAT team raided his home, but he was not there.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte confirmed in a mid-afternoon Facebook post that he was aware of the attack.
“I’m closely monitoring the situation involving an active shooter in Anaconda. Please join Susan and me in praying for the victims, their loved ones, and the brave law enforcement officers responding to this tragedy,” he said on Facebook.
The FBI and ATF then announced that they were headed to the scene to assist in locating Brown.
A massive manhunt was launched in the rugged mountains of nearby Stumptown Road, and included the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center, the Granite County Sheriff’s Office, Montana Highway Patrol, FBI and ATF. A lockdown was issued for that area.
Authorities located a Ford F-150 that they say Brown was driving, but he was not with the truck, which was stocked with clothing, food and outdoor gear.
Later that day, Brown was identified as a former armor crewman in the Army from January 2001 to May 2005, who had served in the National Guard from April 2006 to March 2008. He deployed to Iraq from February 2004 to March 2005, and was a sergeant when he left active service. He joined the Montana National Guard the next year, and served until 2009.
Saturday, Aug. 2
Authorities released a photo of a shirtless Brown scaling a cement staircase, wearing black shorts. They said that photo was taken Friday, shortly after the shooting.
The lockdown was lifted in the Stumptown Road area, but the search, which included air and ground assets, expanded to the Barker Lakes area, according to The Associated Press. Knudsen said 250 law enforcement personnel were involved in Saturday’s search efforts.
Sunday, Aug. 3
Knudsen identified the victims in an afternoon press conference, and described the search as Montana’s “priority number one.”
The victims were identified as Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59, Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64, David Allen Leach, 70 and Tony Wayne Palm, 74, all from Anaconda. Kelley was working as a bartender at the time. The three other victims were patrons.
Knudsen announced that the U.S. Marshals Service was offering a $7,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of Brown.
He also confirmed that Brown used a rifle in the shooting, and noted that Brown had access to firearms.
Knudsen reiterated that Brown should be considered “armed and extremely dangerous.”
“Absolutely there is concern that he might come back into town,” Knudsen said. “By all indications, this is an unstable individual who walked in and murdered four people in cold blood for no reason whatsoever. So absolutely there is a concern for the public.”
Monday, Aug. 4
The search for Brown continued on Monday.
The U.S. Marshals Service upped the reward for information leading to his capture to $10,000.
Tuesday, Aug. 5
Gianforte held his first press conference since the bar massacre.
Flanked by high-ranking local, state and federal law enforcement officials, he said he had spoken to the families of the victims to offer his condolences on behalf of the state of Montana.
“Since the tragic event, our Montana law enforcement officers have been unrelenting in their pursuit, working around the clock to bring this suspect, Michael Brown, to justice for his heinous acts,” said Gianforte.
He added that a Montana National Guard helicopter from the Helena Battalion and its four crew had flown 19 hours over the weekend to assist in the search, and to transport law enforcement in and out of the mountainous search area.
He said that under Montana law, he is able to release emergency state funding to local law enforcement agencies at their request in times of need.
“This morning I received that request from Anaconda-Deer Lodge, and moments ago, I signed an executive order to support the efforts of local law enforcement,” he said. “While the state has already been supporting this investigation with staff and aviation assets, this action today will ensure additional financial resources are available as we continue to track down this criminal.”
Knudsen provided an update on the ongoing search, and took questions from reporters.
Citing the ongoing investigation, he could not confirm whether authorities had recovered a weapon used in the shooting, or whether Brown left behind any clues as to his motive.
Wednesday, Aug. 6
The search remained ongoing on Wednesday, without new updates from authorities.
Thursday, Aug. 7
Authorities continued to search for Brown on Thursday, while local residents told Fox News Digital that they feared his return to the town.
“He was always very skittish. Just like his thoughts were always off the wall and always giving crazy stories. But he was a very sweet guy,” Jill Rowles, a bartender at Jfk Bar, just one block from The Owl Bar, told Fox News Digital.
Rowles was a friend of Kelley, the victim and bartender at The Owl Bar.
“The town is just scared. Everybody’s scared. You see everything on Facebook like that. You hear the sirens go by and your stomach just turns,” she said.
“Everybody’s in shock, and, hey, everybody’s on edge. With me bartending, I’m looking at those doors constantly, she said, gesturing towards the two entrances of the bar.”
Another resident, Matt Fontenot, described a dispirited town that spent the week on edge.
“I feel like the air has almost changed, like the attitude of the town has grown just a little bit more submissive than usual, just because people feel like they don’t really have control over their lives as much right now because of this,” he said.
Friday, Aug. 8
The manhunt for Brown in the mountainous terrain continued in the morning.
Several residents of the town expressed to Fox News Digital the desire for the manhunt to come to a conclusion – with Brown dead or alive – so the community could grieve its loss in peace.
Suddenly, in the early afternoon, information began to spread that Brown had been taken into custody.
Shortly thereafter, Gianforte confirmed the news on social media.
At around 4:30 p.m., Gianforte and Knudsen, again surrounded by local, state and federal law enforcement, emerged from the Deer Lodge County Courthouse for a press conference to discuss Brown’s arrest.
“Our brave men and women in law enforcement didn’t waste a second,” Gianforte said. “They jumped into action and began the search with the promise to not give up until they found this suspect. Today I am grateful to report that Michael Brown has been apprehended, arrested and is in custody.”
Knudsen then took to the podium.
“This really is an unprecedented level of cooperation,” Knudson said, referencing local, state and federal authorities who assisted in the arrest. “It’s a good day. We got our man.”
He gave special thanks to the U.S. Marshals Service, calling them a “huge asset to us here today” and said they were “directly involved” in Brown’s Friday apprehension. He revealed that 130 personnel were involved in the search, and that tips from the community also played a significant role in capturing Brown.
Brown was tracked down near a barn on private property about five-and-half miles from The Owl Bar.
The officials said he was taken to a local hospital to be medically cleared, and was then booked into jail.
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Citing an ongoing investigation, authorities provided few other details.
The charges against Brown have not been made public, nor has his motive for the alleged killings.
Fox News’ Alexandra Koch, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
The post A timeline of the manhunt for rural Montana bar massacre suspect as a small town hopes for closure appeared first on Fox News.
