Saturday, August 02, 2025

FORMER GI SHOOTS DEAD FOUR PEOPLE AT A BAR HE LIVED NEXT DOOR TO

Former US soldier is suspected in Montana bar shooting that killed 4, prompting manhunt

The shooting took place at a bar in Anaconda, about 75 miles southeast of Missoula.
 
Associated Press
Aug 1, 2025 
 
The suspect remains at large as authorities continue to search the surrounding areas  
Michael Paul Brown is wanted for the Montana bar shooting.
 

ANACONDA, Mont. — A shooting at a Montana bar left four people dead Friday, authorities said as they launched a manhunt for the suspect.

The shooting happened around 10:30 a.m. on Friday at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, according to the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, which is leading the investigation. The agency confirmed four people were pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspect, who was identified as 45-year-old Michael Paul Brown, lived next door to the bar, according to public records. Authorities said his home was cleared by a SWAT team and that he was last seen in the Stump Town area, which is just west of Anaconda.

More than a dozen officers from local and state police converged on that area, where they appeared to be searching for the suspect in the woods.

Brown was believed to be armed, the Montana Highway Patrol said in a statement.

Anaconda is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of Missoula in a valley hemmed in by mountains to the north and south. A town of about 9,000 people, it was founded by copper barons who profited off nearby mines in the late 1800s. A giant smelter that’s no longer operational looms over the town.

The owner of the Firefly Café in Anaconda said she locked up her business at about 11 a.m. Friday after getting alerted to the shooting by a friend. Two hours later, she was still waiting for an all clear before reopening.

“We are Montana, so guns are not new to us. For our town to be locked down, everybody’s pretty rattled,” café owner Barbie Nelson said.

“It’s a small town, so we all probably know someone who was there” at the shooting. she added.

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