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The manhunt for a military veteran accused of fatally shooting four people at a Montana bar stretched into the third day Sunday, as authorities warned locals to be vigilant as the violent gunman may return to town.
Authorities believe the suspect, Army veteran Michael Paul Brown, killed four people Friday morning at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, about 25 miles northwest of Butte.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said Sunday that Brown lived next door to the bar and was a regular. Authorities believe he used his own weapon in the shooting.
Knudsen warned residents in the town of 9,000 to stay vigilant, as Brown may try to return to the area. He was described as being “armed and extremely dangerous.”
“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.
Several public events were canceled over the weekend, and parts of a national forest nearby were shuttered as authorities’ manhunt for the gunman entered its third day.
Barker Lake and the surrounding area inside the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest were on lockdown, as investigators say they are considering all possibilities for Brown’s whereabouts.
Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, told the Associated Press that her uncle has struggled with mental illness for years – despite her and other relatives repeatedly seeking help on his behalf.
“This isn’t just a drunk/high man going wild,” she said. “It’s a sick man who doesn’t know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn’t know where or when he is either.”
Authorities also said Sunday that Brown, who served in the Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005, was “known” to local law enforcement before the shooting.
It’s believed he knew at least some of the victims, though authorities have not provided any information about the deceased.
Law enforcement shared a photograph of Brown taken on surveillance footage just after the shootings. In the image, he appeared gaunt and wearing minimal clothing.
Brown fled the area in a white pick-up truck, but ditched the vehicle sometime after, according to Lee Johnson, administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigations.
However, authorities now say he may have stole a different vehicle that held camping gear, shoes and clothing – meaning he may now be clothed.
He was last seen Friday afternoon near Stump Town, authorities said.
There’s a $7,500 reward for any information that leads to Brown’s capture.
“This is still Montana. Montanans know how to take care of themselves. But please, if you have any sightings, call 911,” Knudsen said.
With reporting by the Associated Press.
