A shooting at a bar in Anaconda, Montana, has left four people dead.
According to the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, the shooting took place around 10:30 a.m. on Friday at The Owl Bar. The suspect has been identified as Michael Brown, 45.
He is thought to be armed and extremely dangerous, according to the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center. Brown was last seen around Stump Town, west of Anaconda.
More than a dozen officers are in the area and appear to be searching for him in the woods, according to the Associated Press.
According to the Granite County Sheriff’s Office, the suspected gunman is dressed in a “tye dyed shirt, blue jeans, and an orange bandana.” He was last seen driving a 2007 white Ford F-150 pickup with Montana license plates, Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement told NBC Montana.
Officers from Denver’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives have responded. According to an FBI spokesperson, the agency’s Salt Lake City office is also providing assistance.
A SWAT team cleared the suspect’s house in Anaconda, the sheriff’s office said at 1:30pm local time.
The Montana Highway Patrol has urged people to stay away from the area.
“There is a heavy law enforcement presence west of Anaconda near Stumptown Road and Anderson Ranch Loop Road,” the agency said. “Authorities are searching for a suspect believed to be armed.”
The sheriff’s office said troopers stopped a driver in a white F-150 while searching for the suspect. The driver was not the suspected gunman.
Local business owner Barbie Nelson told the Associated Press that the incident has shaken residents.
“We are Montanans, so guns are not new to us. “Everyone is pretty rattled that our town has been locked down,” Nelson explained.
“It’s a small town, so we all probably know someone who was there,” she told me.
Governor Greg Gianforte announced that he is “closely monitoring the situation involving an active shooter in Anaconda.”
“Please join Susan and me in praying for the victims, their loved ones, and the brave law enforcement officers responding to this tragedy,” Gianforte told X.
Montana Senator Tim Sheehy also issued a statement regarding the attack: “We are monitoring this tragedy and are in contact with local authorities. We appreciate law enforcement’s ongoing efforts to protect our communities and pray for the victims, their families, and the entire Anaconda community.
