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The individual believed to have shot four people during the Montana bar tragedy was spotted fleeing the scene without a shirt and without shoes, as highlighted in a chilling photo released by law enforcement.
Michael Brown, aged 45, has been named by the authorities as the perpetrator behind Friday’s deadly incident in Anaconda. He is currently evading capture, prompting a statewide police search.
The image was released as the public is being urged to keep their distance from Brown, who is reportedly armed and dangerous.
Police say the disheveled figure in the photo wearing nothing but a pair of black shorts is Brown just moments after the shooting.
On Saturday afternoon, Bill Sather, Chief at the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center, informed the community that residents could ‘carry on with their activities throughout the town’ but advised continued vigilance due to the ongoing search for Brown.
‘The impact of a loss like this is felt far and wide in a community like ours,’ Sather added.
Cops say Brown fled the Owl Bar after he killed a bartender and three patrons at 10:30am.
Although Brown’s white Ford 1-50 was found by officers, his whereabouts remain unknown. SWAT units have searched his residence, but he continues to elude capture.
A new photo revealed the moments after Michael Brown, who was named as a suspect in a Montana shooting, allegedly killed four individuals
The suspect remains at large as authorities continue to search the surrounding areas
The shooting unfolded at 10:30am on Friday at the Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana (pictured). Four people, including a bartender, were killed
The pursuit of Brown stretched into the night, with numerous agencies pooling their resources on land and from the air to locate him.
The Montana Department of Justice said authorities are focusing the search on Stumptown Road.
Authorities have yet to disclose a motive for the shooting, and it remains uncertain if Brown had any relationship with the three customers and the bartender who lost their lives.
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 in the Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005. He was deployed to Iraq from 2004 to March 2005, Army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ruth Castro said.
Brown then served in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009 and left the military as a sergeant, according to Castro.
Brown served in the Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005, according to Lieutenant Colonel Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson
A woman who appeared to be related to Brown wrote on social media, ‘There is one thing I’m certain of. Mental health is real.’
‘And it goes unmanaged and dismissed every single day. There are people who search for help and get turned away at every stop along the path.
‘There are people who cry for help and show definite warning signs of crash out. This town? All this town does is talk and judge.’
An individual who said they were friends with Brown wrote on Facebook: ‘The shooter was a friend, combat veteran with PTSD and a delusional mentality of still being active spec ops! He would tell me these outrageous stories of his that were straight out of motion pictures!
‘Mikey Brown needed help! Several locals contacted authorities and pleaded for them to do something to no avail! He was always polite to everyone he was in contact with! Gentle soul, I knew him for years, and watched his mental health decline!
‘PTSD is a serious disease! I am so sorry for those who lost their lives and their loved ones who are dealing with the loss of their own! Mikey I’m sorry people didn’t listen! God Bless Anaconda.’
A massive multi-agency search has ensued for the suspect as residents of Anaconda are urged to stay inside and remain vigilant
Locals were forced to close their businesses as authorities combed the surrounding areas for any signs of Brown
Residents of Anaconda were locked down as authorities combed the area.
Barbie Nelson, who owns a café in the area, said: ‘We are Montana, so guns are not new to us. For our town to be locked down, everybody’s pretty rattled’.
‘It’s a small town, so we all probably know someone who was there,’ she added.
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte said his office was monitoring the situation and he and his family were praying for the victims, their families, and law enforcement officers.
The Anaconda-Deer Lodge advised residents not to approach Brown if they see him and to call 911 for any way of contacting the suspect.
Multiple agencies are assisting with the investigation, including local law enforcement, the FBI, and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
