Montana shooting suspect captured a week after deadly rampage at Anaconda bar, governor says

The suspect in the deadly Montana bar shooting has been captured after a weeklong manhunt, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Friday. Michael Brown, 45, had been on the run in the mountains since Aug. 1, when authorities say he killed four people at The Owl Bar in the town of Anaconda.

Friday, August 8th 2025, 5:12 pm

By: CBS News

"The Anaconda shooter Michael Brown has been apprehended. Incredible response from law enforcement officers across Montana. Thank you to all partners for your commitment to the search," Gianforte posted on X.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said that at approximately 2 p.m., authorities apprehended and placed Brown under arrest near the search area in Anaconda.

"I am proud of the unrelenting law enforcement effort this week to find and arrest Michael Paul Brown. The support we've seen for the community of Anaconda from across the state and the nation has also been remarkable. The families and friends of the victims remain in my prayers," said Knudsen.

The suspect went into the bar last Friday morning and opened fire, killing Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64; David Allen Leach, 70; and Tony Wayne Palm, 74.

"By all indications, this is an unstable individual who walked in and murdered four people in cold blood for no reason whatsoever," Knudsen told reporters Sunday.

The suspect lived next door to the bar and appeared to be a regular, Knudsen said.

After the shooting, Brown fled the scene, and he was believed to have gotten rid of some of his personal belongings, including his clothes, Knudsen said. Authorities had released an image of the suspect taken shortly after the shooting. showing him shirtless and barefoot, wearing only a pair of black shorts. He was believed to have acquired new clothes from a stolen vehicle, Knudsen said.

Investigators believe the suspect used his own rifle in the shooting, Knudsen said.

Brown served in the Army from 2001 to 2005, including a deployment to Iraq, and then in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to 2009.

Brown's niece, Clare Boyle, told The Associated Press that her uncle struggled with mental illness for years, and several local residents told CBS News they were aware of his troubles.

Kristian Kelley, whose mother Nancy Kelley was among the victims, said, "He was somebody that needed some serious resources. He had some mental health issues as well as PTSD from being in the military." She added, "I've never known him to be violent. He was a person who would tell pretty strange stories and different things like that."

Another area resident, Shane Charles, said Brown "would tell us stories that he was John Wick one day or he was the president's right-hand man."

Charles knew Nancy Kelley, who was working as the bartender when the shooting happened.

"Nancy was a fun, bubbly person, always happy, had a smile on her face, always the first to say, 'Hello, how's your day going,'" Charles said. He added, "All of the victims were great people. Our community is suffering because they've lost some great, great people."

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Manhunt for Montana bar shooting suspect continues into fourth day

The manhunt for a military veteran suspected of fatally shooting four people at a bar in Montana stretched into a fourth day Monday.

Police are looking for Michael Paul Brown, 45, who is wanted for allegedly shooting the four inside The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda before fleeing in a white pickup, which he ditched at some point. Law enforcement now believes Brown abandoned that vehicle and stole a different one that had camping gear, shoes and clothes in it.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen told reporters on Sunday that Brown was believed to still be armed and dangerous. A reward of up to $10,000 has been offered for any information that leads to his arrest.

"This is an unstable individual who walked in and murdered four people in cold blood for no reason whatsoever. So there absolutely is concern for the public," Knudsen said.

Authorities released a photo of the suspect said to be taken as he fled after the shooting: Gaunt, barefoot and wearing nothing but black shorts, he is seen walking down what appears to be a flight of outdoor concrete steps. But because the vehicle authorities believe Brown may have stolen had shoes and clothes in it, it's possible he's now clothed, authorities said.

Montana Department of Justice on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, released this image of Michael Brown fleeing.Montana Department of Justice

Investigators are considering all possible options for Brown's whereabouts, the attorney general said. That includes scouring the woods where Brown hunted and camped while he was a kid. But Knudsen noted that during peak tourist season in western Montana some law enforcement officials would have to return to their local jurisdictions for their regular responsibilities.

The search involves deputies traversing the rugged mountainous around west of Anaconda, both on the ground and by air. It included multiple local, state, and federal agencies. As law enforcement scour the wild terrain, the woods southwest of Anaconda have been closed to the public by the National Forest System.

Anaconda-Deer Lodge Police Chief Bill Sather said Saturday that businesses in the area could open, but he urged caution.

The victims were identified as Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; Nancy Lauretta Kelly, 64; David Allen Leach, 70; and 74-year-old Tony Wayne Palm. They were all from Anaconda.

Knudsen said the investigation has led them to believe Brown, who lived next door, was a regular at the bar and knew the victims.

"This is a small, tight-knit community that has been harmed by the heinous actions of one individual who does not represent what this community or Montanans stand for," said Lee Johnson, administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.

Kristian Kelley, the daughter of Nancy Kelley, told CBS News her mother "was a wonderful nurse, and she had a gift for taking care of people at the hospital. She was always very kind and good-hearted to her patients. She loved animals."

"She just retired and just kind of did [bartending] to have something to do on a day or two. Just to be out and about," she said.

Police tape surrounds The Owl Bar in Anaconda, Mont., on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, following a fatal shooting.Joseph Scheller/The Montana Standard via AP

Anaconda, about 25 miles northwest of Butte, is home to roughly 9,000 people. Hemmed in by mountains, it was founded by copper barons who profited from nearby mines in the late 1800s. A smelter stack that is no longer operational looms over the valley.

The Owl Bar's owner, David Gwerder, told The Associated Press that he was not aware of any conflict between Brown and the victims.

"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."

Brown's niece, Clare Boyle, told AP her uncle has struggled with mental illness for years. She said she and other family members repeatedly sought help.

"This isn't just a drunk/high man going wild," she said in a Facebook message. "It's a sick man who doesn't know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn't know where or when he is either."

Kristian Kelley told CBS News she knows who Brown is, but her mother "had never mentioned him."

"He was somebody that needed some serious resources. He had some mental health issues as well as PTSD from being in the military," Kelley said. "I've never known him to be violent. He was a person who would tell pretty strange stories and different things like that."

Robert Wyatt, 70, said he was neighbors with one of the victims, David Allen Leach, at a public housing complex for elderly people and people with disabilities.

"Everybody is nervous" since Friday, Wyatt said.

Leach was deaf and kept mostly to himself, Wyatt said, and he only recalls Leach having a family visit once almost a year ago. But Leach was always happy to help his neighbors with chores like moving furniture.

"If you needed help, Dave would help," Wyatt said. "He was a good neighbor."

David Jabarek, 70, said that a mass shooting in a place as small as Anaconda is baffling to many. He said that he regularly saw both the shooter and the victims over the course of the 20 years that he has lived in Anaconda.

"We only have 9,000 people, so it's like, what the hell just happened? Everybody knows everybody here," he said.

Jabarek was headed to Owl Bar less than 30 minutes before the shooting happened, at around 10:15 a.m. On an impulse, he went to run an errand nearby instead. When he came back to the area, he saw the bar was surrounded by police.

"If I'd have been in there when I was supposed to be, you wouldn't be talking to me. Somebody be talking to you about me," he said.

The close call is now keeping Jabarek up at night. But he said that he isn't afraid of the prospect of Brown returning.

"Everybody around here has two dozen firearms in their house, and right now they're within hands reach," Jabarek said.

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 Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson. Brown was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009, Castro said, and left military service at the rank of sergeant.

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Original breaking news story below...

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Four people were killed in a shooting at a bar in Anaconda, Montana, on Friday, authorities said. A suspect is at large.

The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation confirmed to CBS News that the shooting happened at The Owl Bar in Anaconda at around 10:30 a.m. local time.

Michael Paul Brown is seen in a photo posted to social media by authorities.

The Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Department identified the suspect as Michael Paul Brown and said he was believed to be armed and dangerous.

"If seen do not approach," the department said. "Contact 911 for any way to contact Michael Paul Brown."

The sheriff's office for neighboring Granite County said on social media that the suspect was wearing a tie-dye shirt, blue jeans and an orange bandana.

The sheriff's office said the suspect's house in Anaconda had been cleared by a SWAT team.

"Avoid the Anaconda area," the sheriff's office said. "Stay vigilant report any suspicious activity."

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said he was monitoring the response to the incident.

"Please join Susan and me in praying for the victims, their loved ones, and the brave law enforcement officers responding to this tragedy," Gianforte said on social media, referring to his wife, Susan Gianforte.