Montana News Roundup: Few Details on Anaconda Murders

Although an arrest has been made, authorities are continuing to keep information close on what happened in the fatal shooting of four people at the Owl Bar in Anaconda.

As we reported Friday, shortly after his arrest, Michael Paul Brown was apprehended hiding in a trailer just off MT-1, with Attorney General Austin Knudsen saying a "surge" in search efforts flushed Brown out of hiding and closer to the highway. He says good tips from the public also helped.

But Knudsen was reluctant to say whether Brown was still armed with the rifle used in the shootings…

"We're going to be real careful about this. I mean, was he technically armed? Yes. He was technically armed. I don't know how much further I want to go with that. I think that's as far as I'm going to go." -Montana AG Austin Knudsen

Anaconda Deer Lodge County Attorney Morgan Smith is also keeping details under wraps.

"Details related to that investigation will be withheld, and that's to ensure the fairness and the integrity of the case as it moves forward," Smith said at Friday's press conference.

     Brown will likely make his initial court appearance early this week.

Few Montana fires for mid-August

This is something you don't often get to say in August in Montana, but DNRC reported only 1 new fire start in the past 24 hours. Just as importantly, last week's hit of cool, wet weather gave crews time to catch up, with 100-percent containment on the Wilder and Tullock fires, the two largest blazes in the state.

     🔥 However, fire danger is expected to spike again this week with another round of hot, dry conditions, especially in Western Montana.

More fatal accidents on Montana highways

A 19-year-old Great Falls man was killed Friday night when the Jeep he was riding in crashed on Highway 89 near Monarch.

Montana Highway Patrol says the 36-year-old woman driving the Jeep was also hurt when she overcorrected, sending the vehicle into a multiple rollover accident. Troopers believe drugs, speed, and alcohol were factors in the crash.

A 62-year-old Alabama man was killed, even though he was wearing a helmet, when he lost control of his motorcycle on U-S 2 in East Glacier Friday.

Troopers say the rider lost control at the intersection with Montana Avenue, and the bike overturned. He died later at the hospital in Browning.

Update on Bozeman Walmart shooting

Bozeman Police are continuing to investigate a tragic shooting at Walmart, where a suicidal man took his own life. Police were dispatched Saturday afternoon and managed to evacuate shoppers and staff, but weren't able to convince the man to drop his weapon before he fired the fatal shot.

     Bozeman Police say none of the officers fired their guns, and fortunately, no one else was hurt. The Bozeman Walmart was closed in the hours after the incident.