As search for mass shooting suspect enters its fourth day, authorities 'fairly confident he is in a confined area'

Published by admin on Mon, 08/04/2025 - 14:49

The search for the suspect in Friday’s mass shooting that killed four people inside the Owl Bar in Anaconda is still ongoing, as the hunt for Michael Paul Brown in area of Stumptown Road has entered its fourth day.

And, after Sunday’s developments that saw significant law enforcement presence in that area, authorities feel that while he was not apprehended at that time they are “fairly confident that he is in a confined area” within proximity to where the vehicle was located that he used to flee the scene of the shooting.

Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Chief Executive Bill Everett spoke with the Anaconda Leader via telephone on Monday, stating that it is still an active situation and that there are teams of law enforcement officers from local, state and federal agencies looking for him in the area where there were reports that he had been sighted on Sunday.

“Yesterday they believed there was a sighting of him in the area. They weren’t able to make an arrest, however they feel fairly confident that he is in a confined area,” Everett said. “Obviously the community needs to continue to be vigilant, but we do not believe there is an immediate risk to the community at this time.”

While authorities believe Brown is still within the area of Stumptown Road – which remains closed to the public – the closures of both the Garrity Mountain Wildlife Management Area and of Barker Lake and the surrounding area to the west and south of the WMA remain in effect.

Everett said that the list of agencies responding to the situation from across the state is extensive, and he thanked them all for their support.

“We’ve got them here from all over the place. It’s been amazing the cooperation we’ve been getting. All the law enforcement officers are coming together on this one,” he said. “Everyone is going full bore up there. The amount of support we’re getting is phenomenal.”

He also said that the aerial surveillance, including helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, that have been assisting on the search will be available “anytime they’re needed.”

“Every time they feel that aircraft could be useful, they will be here, they’ll be available anytime they want,” he said.

While authorities do not believe there is any immediate risk to the community and the town has largely reopened, there remains the question as to whether the upcoming Smeltermen’s Day Weekend events of Aug. 8-10 will proceed. Everett said no decision has been made as yet on that, saying that decision “will probably wait until Wednesday morning.”

“We’re very hopeful the situation will be resolved by then. If not, that’ll be decided Wednesday morning,” he said. “We’ll take a lot of direction from state and federal agencies as far as what’s best for our community. We want this to be over as soon as possible. The other part of it is, our community is going to have to go through a grieving period. We went through a horrible tragedy, and unfortunately since we’re up against that situation right now we can’t even go through that process.”

As to that tragedy, authorities have identified Brown, a 45-year-old Anaconda man, as the gunman who entered the Owl Bar on the morning of Friday, Aug. 1 and shot four people to death before fleeing the scene in a stolen white pickup truck that was later found in the Stumptown Road area.

The four victims who were killed in Friday’s shootings have been identified as 59-year-old Daniel Edwin Baillie, 64-year-old Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 70-year-old David Allen Leach, and 74-year-old Tony Wayne Palm. All four were residents of Anaconda.

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https://anacondaleader.com/content/search-mass-shooting-suspect-enters-its-fourth-day-authorities-fairly-confident-he-confined

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A longtime resident who lived next door to the historic bar on the 800 block of East 3rd Street in Anaconda, Brown is described by Anaconda-Deer Lodge County 911 Dispatch as last seen wearing a black shirt with what appears to be blue flames at the bottom, gray or blue pants and an orange bandana.

An image from a security camera released by the Division of Criminal Investigation at the Montana Department of Justice shows Brown fleeing the scene wearing only a black pair of shorts and without shoes on. However, it was later confirmed that the image was taken after he discarded the clothing he was wearing and that he had changed his clothing and put on shoes before fleeing the scene as the stolen vehicle is believed by authorities to have had some clothing as well as camping equipment in it.

Brown has short, dark hair, is of thin build, and appears unshaven, but unlike other photos shared of him he was not shown to have a mustache or full beard in the security camera footage.

Brown is considered to be armed and extremely dangerous. If you see him, do not approach him, and call 911 right away.

Also, the U.S Marshals Service is offering a reward of $7,500 for any information that leads to the arrest or capture of Brown. Citizens are encouraged to call 1-877-WANTED2 (1-877-926-8332) to report a tip.