Michael Paul Brown, who is accused of fatally shooting four people at a bar in Anaconda, Montana, on August 1, has been taken into custody following a weeklong multiagency manhunt, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Friday.
Brown had been on the run since the “biggest” shooting in the state of Montana in a decade. He was arrested around 2 p.m. local time Friday near the search area in Anaconda and is now in the custody of Anaconda-Deer Lodge County authorities, according to the Montana Department of Justice.
“Incredible response from law enforcement officers across Montana,” Gianforte said in a social media post. “May God continue to be with the families of the four victims still grieving their loss.”
Brown, an Army veteran, was seen on security footage fleeing The Owl Bar, where the fatal shooting occurred, investigators said. Since then, he had been sought by authorities representing at least 38 local, state and federal agencies traversing challenging terrain in the western Montana wilderness.
“I am proud of the unrelenting law enforcement effort this week to find and arrest Michael Paul Brown. The support we’ve seen for the community of Anaconda from across the state and the nation has also been remarkable,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said in a statement following the arrest. “The families and friends of the victims remain in my prayers.”
Investigators found a white Ford F-150 truck that Brown drove the day of the shooting, but Brown “was not located in or around the vehicle,” Montana Division of Criminal Investigation Administrator Lee Johnson said at the time.
Those killed in the shooting were identified as 59-year-old Daniel Baillie, 64-year-old Nancy Kelley, 70-year-old David Leach and 74-year-old Tony Palm.
“It just isn’t real. It’s totally overwhelming,” said Cassandra Dutra, a bartender at the Owl Bar.
Brown served as an armor crewman in the US Army from January 2001 to May 2005 and was deployed to Iraq from February 2004 to March 2005, Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, a spokesperson with the US Army, previously told CNN.
Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, previously told CNN he struggled with his mental health during his time in the Army and was never the same after his service. Brown’s mental health got progressively worse with the passing of both of his parents, Boyle said.
“The system failed.. We as people failed.. failed to report suspicious behavior because ‘that’s just Mikee’… We begged people to listen and open their eyes,” she said, referencing his nickname.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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