Montana authorities search remote mountain landscapes for a former U.S. soldier, implicated in a deadly bar shooting, responsible for the deaths of four people.
In the small town of Anaconda, Montana, a manhunt is underway for Michael Paul Brown, a 45-year-old former U.S. Army soldier and Montana National Guard member, who is accused of a devastating shooting at The Owl Bar.
Brown, an avid outdoorsman, is believed to be armed and dangerous, and authorities are searching the mountainous areas around Anaconda, where he is familiar with hunting and camping, as part of the manhunt [1][2].
The tragedy unfolded on Friday, claiming the lives of four local residents, including a female bartender and three male patrons, aged between 59 and 74. Brown, who lived next door to the bar, is believed to have used a rifle, his personal weapon, during the shooting [1].
Authorities have described Brown as an unstable individual who committed the killings "in cold blood for no reason whatsoever." There is concern that he could return to the area, and law enforcement has urged the public to be cautious [1][2].
The search for Brown has involved both ground and aerial efforts, with a helicopter being used in the search on Friday. The Stumptown Road area west of Anaconda was locked down by ground and air [1].
David Gwerder, owner of The Owl Bar, stated that Brown was a regular at the bar but was not aware of any conflicts between Brown and any of the victims [3]. Brown fled the scene in a white pickup truck but later abandoned it [4].
The names of the victims will be released once all of their families have been notified. The Anaconda-Deer Lodge Police Chief Bill Sather and the administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Lee Johnson, have advised caution for businesses in the area and urged residents to stay at home and remain on high alert [1][5].
Brown 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 [6]. His niece, Clare Boyle, stated that he has struggled with mental illness for years [7].
Anaconda, founded by copper barons, is a town hemmed in by mountains, and the smelter stack, though no longer operational, still looms over the valley [8].
The search for Michael Paul Brown continues, and the community of Anaconda is left in shock and mourning.
[1] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/manhunt-underway-suspected-gunman-killed-4-montana-bar-rcna56463 [2] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anaconda-montana-shooting-suspect-michael-paul-brown-manhunt-continues/ [3] https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/05/us/anaconda-montana-shooting-suspect-on-the-run/index.html [4] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/05/us/anaconda-montana-shooting.html [5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/06/05/anaconda-montana-shooting-suspect-still-at-large/ [6] https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2021/06/05/anaconda-shooting-suspect-was-former-soldier-and-national-guard-member/ [7] https://www.kbtv.com/2021/06/06/nephew-of-suspected-anaconda-shooter-says-he-has-struggled-with-mental-illness-for-years/ [8] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/anaconda-montana-town-founded-copper-barons-hemmed-mountains-180974341/
- Despite the manhunt for Michael Paul Brown, a general news topic now, politics appears to be the furthest thing from the concern of the authorities and citizens of Anaconda, Montana, as they grapple with the aftermath of a devastating shooting at The Owl Bar.
- As crime-and-justice issues dominate headlines in Montana, with Michael Paul Brown's manhunt and the tragic shooting in Anaconda, the small town's history, once driven by the copper barons, continues to be shaped by the mountains that hem it in, yet, the smelter stack, though no longer operational, still looms over the valley.
