The manhunt for a military veteran suspected of fatally shooting four people at a bar in Montana stretched into a third day with no capture.
Police are looking for Michael Paul Brown, 45, who is wanted for allegedly shooting inside The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda, before fleeing in a white pickup, which he ditched at some point.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen told reporters on Sunday that Brown is believed to still be armed and dangerous. A $7,500 reward has been offered for any information that leads to his arrest.
“This is an unstable individual who walked in and murdered four people in cold blood for no reason whatsoever. So there absolutely is concern for the public,” Knudsen said.
Authorities released a photo of the suspect said to be taken as he fled after the shooting: Gaunt, barefoot and wearing nothing but black shorts, he is seen walking down what appears to be a flight of outdoor concrete steps.
On Saturday, the search involved deputies traversing the rugged mountainous around west of Anaconda, both on the ground and by air. The search included multiple local, state, and federal agencies.
Anaconda-Deer Lodge Police Chief Bill Sather said Saturday that businesses in the area could open, but he urged caution.
The victims were identified as Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59, Nancy Lauretta Kelly, 64, David Allen Leach, 70, and 74-year-old Tony Wayne Palm. They were all from Anaconda.
Knudsen said the investigation has led them to believe Brown, who lived next door, was a regular at the bar and knew the victims.
“This is a small, tight-knit community that has been harmed by the heinous actions of one individual who does not represent what this community or Montanans stand for,” said Lee Johnson, administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.
Anaconda, about 25 miles northwest of Butte, is home to roughly 9,000 people. Hemmed in by mountains, it was founded by copper barons who profited from nearby mines in the late 1800s. A smelter stack that is no longer operational looms over the valley.
The Owl Bar’s owner, David Gwerder, told the Associated Press that he was not aware of any conflict between Brown and the victims.
“He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that,” Gwerder said. “He didn’t have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped.”
Brown served in the Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005, according to Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson. Brown was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009, Castro said, and left military service at the rank of sergeant.
Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, told AP her uncle has struggled with mental illness for years and she and other family members repeatedly sought help.
“This isn’t just a drunk/high man going wild,” she said in a Facebook message. “It’s a sick man who doesn’t know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn’t know where or when he is either.”
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