Valley County investigating train shooting

The Valley County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting of a BNSF Railways train on Tuesday night.

According to a press release from the agency, BNSF employees witnessed someone shoot at the locomotive they were operating and notified law enforcement. No one was injured, but a shell casing was found by officers at the scene as well as “additional evidence” that will be sent to the Montana Crime Lab, the press release said. 

Prior to the shooting, train crews described a four-door pickup truck with overhead lighting illuminating their train with a spotlight.

According to the press release, the train was stopped and crew members saw a muzzle flash and smoke.

“We can’t provide specific details, but we appreciate the sheriff’s office investigating this matter as a serious threat to the safety of our employees and the public,” BNSF spokesperson Kendall Sloan wrote in an email.

The incident happened near the intersection of Tampico Road and North Tampico Road about 12 miles from Glasgow. A train line runs along Tampico Road, and BNSF has a facility in Glasgow.

Valley County Sheriff Tom Boyer said in an email whether the round was fired at the locomotive or a train car was still under investigation. When it’s dark, a muzzle flash can look like it’s “at you” Boyer wrote, and law enforcement is still investigating that question.

Additionally, Boyer said that while shooting at trains is not something that’s common in Valley County, it has been an issue elsewhere. 

“Historically, people have shot at train cars across the county. The number, volume and data on that is obscure,” Boyer wrote. “One of the reasons they stopped transporting ‘new cars’ open air and protected them with an enclosure was because people shot the windows out.”

No motive was immediately clear, Boyer added.