Montana authorities are still looking for a 45-year-old US Army veteran who allegedly entered a bar and shot four people dead last week. As of Monday, the suspected shooter, Michael Paul Brown, remained at large as law enforcement pursued him.
According to a news release from the Montana Attorney General’s Office, Brown entered The Owl Bar in Anaconda around 10:30 a.m. on Friday and opened fire, killing the bartender, 64-year-old Nancy Lauretta Kelley, as well as three patrons: 59-year-old Daniel Edwin Baillie, 70-year-old David Allen Leach, and 74-year-old Tony Wayne Palm.
The bar is approximately 250 miles west of Billings.
On Sunday, Attorney General Austin Knudsen held a news conference to provide an update on the search as well as some additional information about the suspect.
According to Knudsen, the photograph of Brown released by the state’s Department of Justice, which showed him “largely naked” in only his underwear, was taken “relatively soon after the crime was committed,” when he went to a nearby location and “got rid of his clothes” and some personal belongings.
Shortly after, Brown allegedly stole a vehicle “loaded with” camping equipment, implying that the suspect was likely able to get dressed and leave the area.
“At this point, we have every reason to believe the suspect is fully clothed, shoes on his feet, able to get around,” Knudsen pointed out.
Brown was last seen around noon on Friday, when law enforcement spotted him and led them on a brief chase. However, Knudsen stated that there was “some confusion” because two different vehicles were involved in the pursuit, and authorities were unable to detain Brown.
The AG said he wasn’t sure if Brown knew the victims, but from what he could tell, Brown was a “regular” at The Owl Bar and “literally lived next door” to it.
“I think it’s likely that he knew the bartender and these patrons, which makes this even more heinous,” Knudsen told the audience.
While Knudsen acknowledged that Brown, whom he described as “unstable,” could have committed suicide, he stated that authorities believe Brown is “alive, well, armed, and extremely dangerous.”
The AG reportedly told NBC News that investigators had recovered the car Brown allegedly stole, leading them to believe that the suspect was “very likely up in the mountains, hiding in the timber, or in the cover somewhere.”
According to The Associated Press, Brown was an armor crewman who spent about a year in Iraq before returning to the United States in March 2005. He then served in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to 2009.
Brown’s niece told the wire service that since returning from Iraq, her uncle has struggled with mental health issues and frequently does not know who, where, or when he is.
Officials are offering a $7,500 reward for information that leads to Brown’s arrest.
