ANACONDA — The week-long manhunt for Michael Paul Brown, the suspect in the shooting deaths of four people at the Owl Bar in Anaconda last week, ended on Friday with his arrest.
Brown was arrested at about 2 p.m. near the Ranch Bar just south of Highway 1. He was arrested in a structure located within the search area, which was previously searched and cleared, without incident.
He is currently being held at the Butte-Silver Bow Detention Center.
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Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, and Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Attorney Morgan Smith conducted a news conference at 5:30 p.m.
"We had about 130 personnel up on that hill pushing that area. We think that was directly correlated to flushing him out today, getting him down into an area that we know we had searched before," explained Knudsen. "It's not some place he'd been hiding. He was flushed out. Also, thanks to the public, we had some tips come in, verified where we were, and we were able to move really quickly and get our suspect apprehended."
Montana Division of Criminal Investigation administrator Lee Johnson said Brown was checked out by medical staff before being transferred into law enforcement custody.
"I thought he looked surprisingly in good shape. One of the things we did immediately was get him medically cleared, get him medical attention for as long as he's been out there," noted Johnson. "The weather certainly hasn't been conducive to survivability, really, with no resources."
Knudsen noted that Brown was armed when he was taken into custody, but he declined to elaborate on how Brown was armed while the homicide investigation is still ongoing.
"Our brave men and women in uniform didn't waste a second. Law enforcement jumped into action, began the search with the promise to not give up until they found this suspect," Gianforte said.
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Knudsen said, “It’s a good day. We got the man. Michael Paul Brown is in custody. I am proud of the unrelenting law enforcement effort this week - federal, state, and local agencies came together to get the job done,” Attorney General Austin Knudsen said.
Smith said, "The work that our local officers, standing arm to arm with U.S. Marshals, federal agents, members of law enforcement from communities across Montana - the work you all did is incredible. It's often tireless and thankless work, but I hope that all of you that worked in find Michael Paul Brown know how thankful the entire community of Anaconda is to go to sleep tonight and finally rest."
They also praised and thanked the community of Anaconda for their patience and cooperation. They also asked everyone to keep the victims and their families in their thoughts and prayers.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS - WATCH:
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
- SUSPECT: 45-year-old Michael Brown of Anaconda
- VICTIMS: Nancy Kelley, 64; Daniel Baillie, 59; David Leach, 70; Tony Palm, 74
- MOTIVE: Unknown
- STATUS: Brown was arrested on Friday, August 8
The week-long search involved dozens of law enforcement agencies and hundreds of people, aerial resources, tracking dogs, and more.
The search encompassed a large area, and was concentrated in the mountains near Stumptown Road just west of Anaconda.
At this point, authorities do not know of any specific motive for the shootings.
Clare Boyle, the niece of Brown, said last week that 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.”
She said that Brown suffered from significant mental health challenges, including schizophrenia and PTSD from serving in the Army.
