Investigators looking for a man who allegedly shot and killed four people at a Montana bar on Friday morning have found the pickup truck he escaped in, but the suspect, who is believed to be armed and dangerous, remains at large, police said. A white Ford F-150 driven by Michael Paul Brown was found, but Brown “was not located in or around the vehicle,” Montana Division of Criminal Investigation Administrator Lee Johnson said at a news conference late Friday.
Authorities are now focussing their search in the highlands near Stumptown Road, west of Anaconda, where the incident occurred, Johnson said. A representative for the Montana Department of Justice stated on Saturday that numerous local, state, and federal agencies are searching for Brown on the ground and in the air near Stumptown Road.
Randy Clark, an Anaconda resident who lives near Highway 1 and Stumptown Road, where the search for Brown is ongoing, captured video of a helicopter flying near his home on the town’s west side on Saturday morning. Clark, a retired police officer, told CNN that the helicopter search continued until after 11 p.m. on Friday and resumed at around 6 a.m. local time.
He said he could hear authorities shouting on Friday, but he couldn’t tell if they were yelling at the suspect or communicating with each other.
“I heard a bunch of sirens and stuff and saw the state troopers and local police flying down Highway 1, west toward Philipsburg,” he said. “(They) stopped directly across from where I live. You could see the blue lights and stuff, everything.”
The incident occurred at 10:30 a.m. local time at The Owl Bar, and the scene has been secured, according to the Montana DCI, who did not provide any other information regarding what led to the shooting. Investigators have identified all four victims of the incident, but their names will not be released until their families are notified, according to Johnson.
Friday’s massacre is one of at least 256 mass shootings in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Cassandra Dutra, who has worked as a barmaid at the Owl Bar for six months, told CNN she is devastated and saddened by the Friday shooting. “It’s just not real. “It’s completely overwhelming,” she explained. She believes that everyone in the bar at the time of the shooting was slain, including the barman, who was the only employee working, and three customers. She stated that Brown lived next door to the pub and frequented regularly, but “he wasn’t a part of the camaraderie” that existed among the others.
Dutra did not work on Friday, but she lives near the pub and heard noises during the shooting. She figured it was due to construction outside the bar. When she learnt there had been a shooting at the Owl, she did not believe it was a dangerous situation in which people were injured. “I didn’t panic because I was familiar with the atmosphere in the Owl…” “It never occurred to me that anyone was hurt,” she stated.
David Gwerder, the owner of The Owl Bar, told The Associated Press he was unaware of any conflicts between Brown and anyone who was in the bar Friday morning.
“He knew everyone in the bar. “I guarantee you that,” Gwerder told the Associated Press. “He had no ongoing disagreement with any of them. “I think he snapped.” CNN has contacted Gwerder for comment. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte stated on X that he is “praying for the victims, their loved ones, and the brave law enforcement officers” who responded to the incident. Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke advised folks in the area to “stay inside and lock their doors.”
The FBI, the Denver office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Granite County Sheriff’s Office said they are assisting with the investigation.
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