Ex-Army Member Arrested for Killing Four in Montana Bar Shooting

Police in Montana have finally arrested the man accused of murdering four people at a bar after he went on the run for seven days.

Michael Brown, 45, was found alive – and was taken into custody on Friday.

The 45-year-old is accused of killing four people at The Owl Bar in Anaconda on August 1, 2025.

Around 10:30 a.m. last Friday, Brown entered the Anaconda bar and opened fire, resulting in the deaths of a bartender and three patrons, as reported by the Montana Department of Justice.

He then fled the scene in a pickup truck to the west of town and into the surrounding mountains, wearing only a pair of black shorts or underwear.

The week-long search involved dozens of law enforcement agencies and hundreds of people, aerial resources, tracking dogs, and more, KRTV reported.

The search encompassed a large area, and was concentrated in the mountains near Stumptown Road just west of Anaconda.

Montana’s Governor Greg Gianforte has confirmed Brown’s arrest.

‘The Anaconda shooter Michael Brown has been apprehended,’ Gianforte wrote in a statement. 

‘An incredible response came from law enforcement officers all over Montana. We appreciate all partners for their dedication to the search. May God be with the families of the four victims as they continue to mourn their loss.’

Michael Brown, 45, was found alive – and was taken into custody on Friday, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte confirmed

The shooting unfolded at 10:30am on Friday, August 1, 2025 at the Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana (pictured)

Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the shooting, and it remains unknown whether Brown had any links to the bartender and patrons he killed.

The Montana Department of Justice identified the victims days after the incident as Anaconda residents Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59, Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64, David Allen Leach, 70, and Tony Wayne Palm, 74.

Kelley was a bartender at the business, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen confirmed in a press release. 

David Gwerder, the Owl Bar’s owner, told the Associated Press that he knew Brown. Authorities confirmed the suspect lived next door to the bar. 

‘He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that,’ Gwerder said. 

‘He didn’t have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped.’

Gwerder wasn’t at the bar during the shooting and said he believed the four victims were the only ones inside the establishment. 

Brown served as an armor crewman in the Army from 2001 to 2005, with deployment to Iraq from 2004 to March 2005, according to Army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ruth Castro.

A new photo revealed the moments after Brown (pictured) killed four individuals 

Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the shooting, and it remains unknown whether Brown (pictured) had any links to the bartender and patrons he killed.

Brown then served in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009 and left the military as a sergeant, according to Castro. 

Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, said last week that she and her family are heartbroken over the situation and the four lives that were lost. 

‘My heart breaks for this town. There is no amount of apology or words that could ever describe how sorry I am and how I feel for these families, my own included,’ she told KRTV.

She added that her uncle suffered from significant mental health challenges, including schizophrenia and PTSD from his time serving in the U.S. Army.

This is a breaking news story.