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Woodhouse charged with attempted homicide after allegedly shooting two men in Bozeman

One man was shot in the leg; the other in the chest
Riley Alexander Woodhouse made his initial court appearance in Bozeman on October 18, 2019
Posted at 11:10 AM, Oct 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-18 13:32:35-04

BOZEMAN — Riley Alexander Woodhouse has been charged with two counts of attempted deliberate homicide after allegedly shooting two men in Bozeman.

Police responded to a 911 report of a parking lot shooting at the intersection of Rouse and Mendenhall at around 2:15 a.m. on Thursday. Officers found two men lying in the parking lot with gunshot wounds.

According to court documents, a witness told police he saw the two victims and a third man in a fight with Woodhouse and two other men. The witness said he broke up the fight, after which Woodhouse and the other two men ran from the scene.

The three men reportedly returned a short time later, two armed with a bat and machete, and Woodhouse wielding two pistols, according to the charging documents.



The witness said he had left the scene after the initial fight and was headed in the direction of Bar IX. He said he then heard people arguing and started heading back toward the parking lot. The witness reported hearing four shots and seeing Woodhouse and the two other members of his party running away heading north.

The court documents say that the witness was administering first aid to the victims when emergency responders arrived and took the two victims to the hospital. One man had been shot in the leg; the other had been shot in the chest. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Officers interviewed the victims at the hospital. The man shot in the leg was able to identify Woodhouse, saying they had met previously.

The witness told officers the fight began when the man shot in the leg heard Woodhouse telling bar customers he ran a downtown bar and was in charge of the bouncers and bartenders there.

The victim allegedly confronted Woodhouse, telling him he had nothing to do with the bar and was being disrespectful to the people who worked there. The fight began shortly after as the victims left the area and headed toward the parking lot.

Woodhouse was located and arrested at his girlfriend’s residence at around 9:40 a.m. on Thursday. Court documents say he left his pistol and a note explaining what had happened, along with the clothing he was wearing during the incident.

Woodhouse reportedly told officers after his arrest that he and the two men returned to their parked vehicle after the fight, where the others retrieved the bat and machete. Woodhouse said his roommate arrived and handed him his Springfield 9mm pistol.

Court documents did not specify any information about a second firearm.

Woodhouse allegedly admitted to shooting the two men. He said he then ran away and was later picked up by his girlfriend.

Woodhouse, 21 years old, made his initial appearance in Gallatin County Justice Court on Friday morning, where a judge set his bond at $500,000.