Authorities report capture of suspect in fatal shooting at Montana bar

A Montana man accused of fatally shooting four people at a bar has been captured after a weeklong manhunt, authorities said Friday.

Michael Paul Brown, aged 45, was captured around 2 p.m. on Friday near a location where law enforcement officers had been searching in Anaconda, as reported by the Montana Department of Justice.

“I am proud of the unrelenting law enforcement effort this week to find and arrest Michael Paul Brown,” stated Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen. “The support we’ve seen for the community of Anaconda from across the state and the nation has also been remarkable.”

ditional details about Brown’s apprehension were not immediately available.

A manhunt began for Brown on August 1, when he allegedly entered the Owl Bar next to his home in Anaconda and started shooting, according to the Montana Department of Justice.

The bartender and three patrons were killed.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen named the four victims as Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64; Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; David Allen Leach, 70; and Tony Wayne Palm, 74.

All were from Anaconda.

Shane Charles, the owner of another bar who grew up with Brown in Anaconda, said Brown struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Brown served in the Army from 2001 to 2005, was deployed in Iraq from 2004 to 2005, and was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to 2009, as stated by the U.S. Army.

Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, said that her uncle struggled with mental health issues.

A motive for the shooting is not known.