The search was on for a man suspected of fatally shooting four people at a Montana bar Friday morning, state officials said.
The suspect was named as Michael Paul Brown, with no age given, according to the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene following the 10:30 a.m. shooting at the Owl Bar in Anaconda, a copper smelt town founded in the late 1800s, the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation said.
It’s not clear how or why the attack unfolded.
“This is an active investigation, and more information will be shared when available,” the agency said in a statement.
The suspect was believed to be armed and in the area west of the town. State authorities asked people to avoid the area of Stumptown Road and Anderson Ranch Loop Road in the Stumptown neighborhood.
The state Division of Criminal Investigation indicated local authorities — Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Department — are in charge of the search.
It urged residents to call 911 if they spot the suspect and warned, “do not approach.”
NBC Montana, citing authorities, reported the suspect is 45 and was last seen driving a 2007 white Ford F-150 pickup headed west on Anaconda Road.
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