A week-long manhunt for a suspect in the Anaconda shooting resulted in an arrest, with the Great Falls Police Department playing a role. Michael Brown, the suspect of the shooting, was apprehended following a coordinated investigation by numerous agencies across Montana.
Lieutenant Matt Fleming of GFPD Media Relations indicated that their involvement stemmed from the Central Montana High Risk Unit, a joint tactical squad formed about a year and a half ago by GFPD and the Cascade County Sheriff's Office.
"The request came in through the standard procedures with the sheriffs and peace officers, mutual aid requests throughout the state,” Fleming said.
While the GFPD's role in the manhunt was mostly supportive, officers faced difficult circumstances. Fleming described the landscape as steep, wooded, and large, making it difficult to provide consistent coverage.
"With terrain that large, it's difficult to hold ground that's been searched throughout the week," Fleming told reporters. "It would take hundreds of hours of law enforcement to maintain coverage of every area."
The suspect's capture provided relief not just to law enforcement but also to inhabitants of Anaconda and Deer Lodge, who had been living in fear of an armed fugitive and media harassment for days.
"Certainly, a sense of relief — mostly for the members of Anaconda and Deer Lodge," Fleming shared. "It's got to be unnerving to have a suspect like that on the loose in your community for a week."
Governor Greg Gianforte publicly praised everyone involved, stating, "Thank you does not cover what we owe to these brave men and women."
With Brown now in prison, communities throughout Montana may breathe easier, and the joint efforts of agencies such as the GFPD serve as a reminder of the value of teamwork in law enforcement.
