Victims Named in Montana Bar Shooting as Manhunt Widens

New York Times

a day ago

As the hunt for an Army veteran suspected of fatally shooting four people in a rural Montana bar stretched into a third day on Sunday, the authorities released the names of the people who were killed.
Officials identified the victims as Nancy Lauretta Kelly, 64, a bartender, and three bar patrons: Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; David Allen Leach, 70, and Tony Wayne Palm, 74. The shooting took place Friday morning in the Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda, about 20 miles northwest of Butte.
The authorities said the suspect, Michael P. Brown, 45, fled to the nearby foothills after opening fire inside the bar. He used a rifle, Austin Knudsen, the Montana attorney general, said at a news conference on Sunday.
'At this point, our suspect is still at large,' Mr. Knudsen said. Mr. Brown's last contact with law enforcement was around noon local time on Friday, he added.
State officials said that they had widened their search to areas that include National Forest System land southwest of Anaconda. Forest officials had already closed those areas to the public because of the manhunt. The authorities have told Anaconda residents to use caution but to go about their lives.
The dense brush and mountainous topography around the town could complicate search efforts. Local, state and federal agents have been looking for the suspect on foot as well as by automobile and helicopter.
The shooting rattled residents, forcing businesses to close and people to stay locked in on Friday. By Saturday, the town had begun to return to normal. At least one prayer vigil for the victims was planned for the community on Sunday evening.
In tight-knit Anaconda, many residents knew the suspect, whom they described as a regular at the Owl and other bars. Several people said they knew he was troubled because he told paranoid and often elaborate theories about political leaders and world events, but they had not seen him be violent before. The suspect lived on the same street as the Owl Bar, a neighborhood tavern, and Mr. Knudsen said it was likely that he knew the victims, though he did not elaborate on what might have led to the shooting.
Relatives of the suspect said he had a long history of mental illness. While the authorities were searching for him, they released a photograph of Mr. Brown taken from security-camera video. It showed him as a gaunt man, shirtless and in dark shorts, walking down a flight of stairs.
Mr. Knudsen said on Sunday that the photo was taken shortly after the shooting, after the suspect had disposed of his clothes. He then stole a vehicle that had gear in it, including clothing and camping equipment, Mr. Knudsen said.
Sonia A. Rao contributed reporting from New York. Susan C. Beachy contributed research.