Governor, AG, DCI provide update on Anaconda shooter manhunt

ANACONDA — Local, state and federal officials gathered on the lawn in front of Deer Lodge County Courthouse on Tuesday morning to provide an update on the search for a man who shot several individuals on Friday.

Michael Brown, 45, is accused of killing four people on Aug. 1 in the Owl Bar in Anaconda around 10:30 a.m.. He then fled, stealing a pickup truck. Brown hasn’t been seen since Friday, officials said, and little new information was available. However, later Tuesday according to an NBC Montana interview with Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton, Brown, in fact, had been seen over the weekend. 

Agencies are still operating under the assumption he is alive. It’s unclear where Brown is.

“We don’t have specific information, but look, he was able to escape and get up in the mountains,” Attorney General Austin Knudsen said. “We are absolutely operating under the assumption that he is armed and extremely dangerous.”

Gov. Greg Gianforte said on Tuesday he has signed an executive order to help share the costs of law enforcement activity. He also held a moment of silence for the victims — 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 of whom were Anaconda residents.

“The state has already been supporting this investigation with staff and aviation assets,” Gianforte said during the press conference. “This action today will ensure additional financial resources are available as we continue to track down this criminal.”

Knudsen said the U.S. Marshall’s Service has increased the reward for information leading to Brown’s capture to $10,000. Gianforte said the National Guard has provided assistance during the search. Other federal resources, including intelligence gathering were used, according to Richard Baer, an FBI official at the briefing. 

It was unclear from the briefing what type of intelligence resources were used. Officials had little to say on the search area, how big it was or how many people are still involved in the search. Gianforte’s executive order, however, mentions there are approximately 150 personnel involved. It was unclear how much money the executive order opens up.

Montana Division of Criminal Investigation Administrator Lee Johnson said the search perimeter had expanded, but did not provide further details, calling it “operational” information law enforcement wasn’t sharing publicly.

Knudsen did add there was no evidence any homes or cabins had been broken into. Sweeps have been conducted by law enforcement in the area.

What happened in the initial moments between the shooting and Brown’s escape remains unclear. Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Attorney Morgan Smith briefly expounded on the timeline, but said the county “wasn’t in a position to disclose” further information.

“Once Mr. Brown was leaving, I can tell you that the law enforcement response to the realization that he was leaving was nearly immediate,” Smith said. “But outside of that, I wouldn’t be able to provide any more specifics.”

In Anaconda, people were walking around and there was not a heavy first responder presence in the town itself. One coffee shop was trying to figure out if they could supply caffeine for first responders and residents were talking about the shooting.

“When the dust settles and our community is safe again, we will answer all of the questions,” Smith said. “In the meantime, we ask that you take information that you see on social media with a grain of salt. We ask you to refrain from information you do not know to be true.”

Some residents in Anaconda have complained about information being shared, including law enforcement positions and helicopter flight patterns. Social media was also afire in regards to the shooting in the immediate aftermath, per reporting from the Montana Standard.

It wasn’t immediately clear what information was incorrect, or if law enforcement agencies have been able to correct it.