What we know about the arrest of alleged Anaconda gunman Michael Brown

A shooting at an Anaconda bar on Aug. 1 left four people dead — a bartender and three patrons. The shooting suspect, Michael Brown, was arrested about 2 p.m. Aug. 8.

Here is what else we know about the incident:

Suspected shooter Michael Brown arrested

Michael Brown, the man suspected of fatally shooting four people in an Anaconda bar Aug. 1, was arrested Aug. 8 west of town after a weeklong manhunt that involved hundreds of law enforcement officers.

Brown, 45, was found about 2 p.m. near the Ranch Bar, 13177 Montana Highway 1, state officials said.

He was listed Aug. 9 in the Butte-Silver Bow County Detention Center. No court information was immediately available.

Bill Everett, chief executive of Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, said Brown was captured in or near an old abandoned trailer near the bar.

“He’s alive and it’s over,” Everett told The Montana Standard on Friday. “Anaconda can get some sleep tonight.”

Numerous law enforcement agencies were at the scene Friday afternoon. They included the U.S. Marshals Service, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Police, Montana Highway Patrol.

Also offering support were the Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the Montana National Guard with canines, aerial resources, manpower, and other supports for the search.

Where and when did the shooting take place?

According to the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, the incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. Aug. 1 at the Owl Bar at 819 E. 3rd St. in the Goosetown neighborhood of Anaconda.

Situated in southwest Montana, Anaconda is a town of about 9,800 people. It's roughly 25 miles west of Butte and 80 miles southwest of Helena, Montana's capital.

Who is the shooting suspect?

Law enforcement identified Michael Brown, 45, as the suspected shooter.

Brown served in the U.S. Army from 2001 to 2005 and had been deployed at least once to Iraq. He was in the National Guard from 2006 to 2009 and his last known rank was sergeant.

He lived in a home next door to the Owl Bar, authorities said. According to an initial online records search, Brown is a 1998 high school graduate with no listed criminal record.

William Leonard Brown, a brother of Michael Brown, fatally stabbed a man in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County in 2000. He was sentenced in January 2002 to 100 years in prison and is now held at the Saguero Correctional Center, a private prison in Arizona, according to the Montana Department of Corrections.

Where was the suspect last seen before he went missing?

Before being apprehended seven days after fleeing the scene, Brown was seen around 2 p.m. Aug. 1 driving west of Anaconda on Stumptown Road. He was believed to be driving a stolen white Ford F-150 pickup.

Authorities located that truck on Aug. 1, but Brown was nowhere to be found.

Authorities released a still surveillance photo of Brown that was taken at some point after the fatal shooting Aug. 1 and it appeared he was barefoot and only had shorts on.

But Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said the pickup truck Brown drove off in had camping gear and clothing in it, and believed he was clothed when he ditched the truck and scampered by foot into the mountains.

Knudsen also said authorities did not know whether Brown was armed, a situation that added peril for searchers in an area that features thick stands of aspens and lodgepole pines.

Several Anaconda natives and veteran outdoorsmen familiar with the Garrity Mountain Wildlife Management Area said there are plenty of places to hide.

The mountain pine bark beetle kills lodgepole pines. Toppled trees spread like jackstraws across the landscape, providing a bulwark of sorts for someone hiding behind them. There are shrub thickets and bushy riparian areas along Warm Spring Creek and other streams.

In a separate interview, Chris Marchion — an inductee into the Montana Outdoor Hall of Fame, noted conservationist and public lands advocate — said Brown had "the advantage over people looking for him."

What did search efforts entail?

Officials said more than 250 law enforcement officers from nearly 40 local, state and federal agencies were involved in the manhunt in some capacity. Among other assets, authorities deployed helicopters with infrared technology.

During one press conference, authorities said there were signs Brown had been in mountains near Anaconda.

“There is certainly evidence in our search area that he’s present and that, you know, we’re hunting in the right haystack,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said as the manhunt for Brown entered its fifth day.

Search efforts were largely concentrated to the Mt. Haggin and Garrity Mountain areas.

“There’s been sweeps,” Knudsen said. “There’s a number of cabins up there. They’ve all been swept and checked (and) other assets up there.”

Gov. Greg Gianforte also signed an executive order providing emergency funds to help pay for search efforts.

Who are the victims?

The names of the four victims were released Aug. 3. They are 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 four were residents of Anaconda.

Knudsen said authorities believe Brown was a regular at the bar and likely knew the victims.

How do people who know the suspect describe him?

Chris Marchion of Anaconda, an avid outdoorsman who knows the territory around Garrity Mountain and the Garrity Mountain Wildlife Management Area, said Brown knows the area well.

He said Brown has backpacked in the country and knows the terrain, mountain lakes like Hearst, Haggin and more. There are heavily timbered sections, along with abandoned mines.

"It's pretty good terrain to hide out in," Marchion told The Montana Standard on Aug. 3. "Even if there is a helicopter flying over you could find a place to hide."

"He's not afraid of being uncomfortable,” he said. “He's an unstable person. And he's going to become more unstable."

David Gwerder, owner of the Owl Bar, told the Associated Press that the suspect "knew everyone that was in the bar. I guarantee you that. He didn't have a running dispute with any of them. I think he snapped."

Gwerder said he was not aware of any conflicts between Brown and the victims.

Numerous social media posts from people who said they knew Brown claim he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and had sought mental health help numerous times. Authorities have not confirmed those claims.

Dan Oberweiser, Brown’s high school football coach in Deer Lodge in the ‘90s, says as a kid he always "had a big smile on his face."

“What he did, that’s not the Mikey I knew 30 years ago," Oberweiser said.

Did the incident prompted lockdowns or other ripple effects?

According to public service updates from authorities, Anaconda did not go on lockdown.

Law enforcement urged residents to avoid the Stumptown Road area and "remain cautious and vigilant."

Anaconda Deer Lodge Police Chief Bill Sather issued a statement on video Aug. 2 posted on the Montana DOJ Facebook page, telling residents it was “OK to go about your business but, please use caution.”

Some residents in the Stumptown Road area were initially evacuated but they have been allowed to return to their homes.

An official with Discover Anaconda announced Tuesday afternoon that the upcoming Smeltermen’s celebration scheduled Aug. 8-10 has been canceled due to the ongoing search efforts.

“This is not an easy decision, but it is the right one,” said Celina Van Hyning, director of Discover Anaconda. “Our community is grieving, and while Smeltermen’s Day is a celebration of Anaconda’s strength, spirit and history, we believe that now is not a time for celebration — but for mourning, reflection and healing.”

What was the shooter's motive?

Authorities have not released any information regarding the shooter's motive.

How are locals reacting to the situation?

'Anaconda Strong': After a shooting, a Montana town of 9,800 grieves for 4 of their own

Marlene Quick, who lives on Washoe Street adjacent to Stumptown Road, said she saw a white pickup speeding by her house on Friday followed by several police cars.

“It’s so sad,” Quick said Aug. 2. “It’s horrifying.”

Tom Yochem was walking his dog, Sarah, about a half mile up the road that leads to Hearst Lake on Friday when he heard sirens. Then a friend called him and said he should get home.

Given the police presence Saturday, Yochem planned to change his routine.

Ted Williams, a well-known manager at the Anaconda McDonald’s, hoped authorities would allow him to return to the home he shares with an aunt at Garrity Mountain to allow him to feed and water three dogs.

Williams’ home is smack dab in the search zone area, with his home built into the side of Garrity Mountain.

He said he was allowed to return Aug. 2 with a police escort to tend to the dogs. But he was not allowed to go Aug. 3. His three dogs are Gus, around 13 years old, Stanley and Ira.

What do we know about the Owl Bar?

The Owl Bar is cluttered with old signs and memorabilia, neon lights and has a long bar on one end that stretches the length of the room. One woman described it Aug. 1 as a favorite watering hole for locals.

It dates back to the early 1900s and according to a 1987 story in The Montana Standard, “was one of numerous bars along the old streetcar run that brought thousands of men to and from the Washoe Smelter each day.”

The bar is in the Goosetown neighborhood, which got its name from a large number of geese kept behind each bar that were raffled off frequently.