After a weeklong manhunt, authorities on Friday captured the man accused of gunning down four people inside a Montana bar.
Michael Paul Brown, 45, allegedly fired a rifle around 10:30 a.m. last Friday at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, a southwestern Montana city of about 9,000, according to the Montana Department of Justice. Republican Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Friday that Brown was taken into custody in the mountains, ending a search that began Aug. 1.
“The Anaconda shooter Michael Brown has been apprehended. Incredible response from law enforcement officers across Montana. Thank you to all partners for your commitment to the search,” Gianforte wrote. “May God continue to be with the families of the four victims still grieving their loss.”
The Anaconda shooter Michael Brown has been apprehended.
Incredible response from law enforcement officers across Montana. Thank you to all partners for your commitment to the search.
May God continue to be with the families of the four victims still grieving their loss.
— Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) August 8, 2025
Brown allegedly walked into The Owl Bar that morning and opened fire, killing bartender Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64, along with patrons Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; David Allen Leach, 70; and Tony Wayne Palm, 74. (RELATED: Police Arrest Man Accused Of Shooting Driver Who Allegedly Plowed Into Crowd)
Brown enlisted in the Army in 2001, served a tour in Iraq, and remained on active duty until 2005 before continuing his service with the Montana National Guard until 2009. His niece, Clare Boyle, told The Associated Press that he battled long-term mental health challenges.
“This isn’t just a drunk/high man going wild,” Boyle said, as reported by AP. “It’s a sick man who doesn’t know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn’t know where or when he is either.”
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