Montana: four killed in bar shooting

Montana authorities are deployed in an intense search for the prime suspect in a shooting that left four fatalities in the town of Anaconda, a small mining town southeast of Missoula. The incident occurred this Friday morning at The Owl Bar, when, according to the state Division of Criminal Investigation, a man opened fire inside the establishment.

The alleged shooter has been identified as Michael Paul Brown, a 45-year-old man who lived in a house adjacent to the bar. Special agents and a SWAT team evacuated his home, but the man was not found. Authorities believe Brown moved into the wooded area of Stump Town, west of Anaconda, and warn that he may be armed and dangerous.

Extensive search operation

Authorities confirmed that more than a dozen state and local officers have been deployed to sweep the mountainous area in search of the suspect. Although the perimeter has been reinforced, as of press time there have been no reports of his capture.

Neighbors and merchants remain on alert. Some locals closed their doors as soon as news of the shooting broke. "We are Montana, so guns are not new to us. For our town to be locked down, everybody’s pretty rattled," Barbie Nelson told local media. She added that many in the community knew some of the people affected, given the small size of the town.