OVERVIEW
- WHAT: A man shot a bartender and three customers; all four died
- WHERE: The Owl Bar in Anaconda
- WHEN: At about 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 1, 2025
- SUSPECT: 45-year-old Michael Brown of Anaconda
- VICTIMS: Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64; Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; David Allen Leach, 70; Tony Wayne Palm, 74
- MOTIVE: Unknown
- STATUS: Manhunt for Brown continues as of Monday evening
ANACONDA — It’s been a tense several days for the residents in a quiet neighborhood along Evergreen Street that leads up to Stumptown Road where authorities have set up an incident command center in the ongoing manhunt for Brown.
Meagan Thompson reports from Anaconda:
U.S. Senator Steve Daines of Montana said in an email: "They're using infrared cameras. They've got dogs. They've had a few hits with the dogs. I'm hopeful that very shortly our law enforcement is going to get this guy and apprehend him and bring him out."
At about 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 1, 2025, a man walked into the Owl Bar in Anaconda and began shooting, killing a bartender and three customers. Authorities quickly identified the suspect as 45-year-old Michael Brown.
Law enforcement officers from several agencies began searching for Brown, concentrating their efforts in the mountains near Stumptown Road just west of Anaconda. Later in the day, authorities found the truck that he fled in, but Brown was not in it.
John Emeigh reports on a bump in gun sales at an Anaconda pawn shop:
As of Monday afternoon, Brown remains at large, and the massive manhunt continues, with law enforcement agencies searching by ground and air for him.
The names of the four people who died were released during a news conference on Sunday morning:
- Nancy Lauretta Kelley, age 64
- Daniel Edwin Baillie, age 59
- David Allen Leach, age 70
- Tony Wayne Palm, age 74
The Montana Department of Justice shared these photos of the victims:
At this point, authorities do not know of any specific motive for the shootings.
According to Clare Boyle, the niece of Brown, she and her family are heartbroken over the situation and the four lives that were lost.
Boyle said, “My heart breaks for this town. There is no amount of apology or words that could ever describe how sorry I am and how I feel for these families, my own included.”
JESSICA NELSON REPORTS FROM ANACONDA:
She said that Brown suffered from significant mental health challenges, including schizophrenia and PTSD from serving in the Army.
Boyle said Brown moved around a lot and was a military brat, as his father also served.
According to Lt. Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson, Brown served in the U.S. Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and was deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005.
Brown was in the National Guard from 2006 to March 2009, Castro said. He left military service with the rank of sergeant.
Boyle told MTN that Brown’s schizophrenia worsened after losing his mother. “Mikee’s decline started really heavily when my grandma passed. The trauma from losing his last parent broke Mikee. The VA said he no longer qualified for assistance with obtaining prescriptions and help.”
Boyle said Brown suffered from significant mental health challenges including schizophrenia and PTSD from serving in the Army.
According to Boyle, Brown would have delusions of being a time traveler. She says, “He no longer drank alcohol because it ‘blocked his wizard powers’…Mikee is harmless 99% of the time when others aren’t asking him about and making fun of his delusions.”
Boyle says her family sought help for Brown through both the Montana VA and the Montana State Hospital. “The VA said he no longer qualified for assistance with obtaining prescriptions and help. The Montana State Hospital wouldn’t take him in unless it was a court order. The only way to obtain a court order was for Mikee to become a harm to himself or others. We warned them that a snap could happen and that he was not of sound mind, and we were still left with no answers and nowhere to turn.”
Anyone who sees Brown is advised to call 911 immediately, or call if they have any information regarding his location.
