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.
Knudsen identified the shooting victims as 64-year-old Nancy Lauretta Kelley, who was the bartender at the time of the shooting; 59-year-old Daniel Edwin Baillie; 70-year-old David Allen Leach; and 74-year-old Tony Wayne Palm. He said Baillie, Leach and Palm were all patrons of The Owl Bar.
The attorney general said local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are searching for Brown.
“We’ve got air assets, ground assets. We’re going to catch this guy. This is absolutely still priority No. 1,” Knudsen said.
On Saturday, investigators released a surveillance photo of Brown that Knudsen said was taken shortly after the shooting, in which the suspect appeared to have stripped off most of his clothes and was just in his underwear and his socks.
“We have very good reason to believe that he is clothed. He does have shoes and he’s probably able to get around,” said Knudsen, adding that investigators suspect Brown stole a vehicle after the shooting that contained camping equipment and clothes.
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.
“We do know the individual had access to firearms. We believe he is still probably armed and dangerous,” said Brown, adding that authorities believe Brown is still in the area.
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.
“Residents of the area have been notified and are encouraged to stay inside their homes and on high alert,” Johnson said.
The shooting sparked a large law enforcement presence, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which sent agents to the scene.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said on social media on Friday that he was “closely monitoring the situation involving an active shooter in Anaconda” and asked for prayers for the victims.
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