On August 1, 2025, a mass shooting occurred at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana, United States. According to investigators, the suspect is a 45-year-old man who lived next door to the bar. Charging documents allege that after attempting and failing to set the bar on fire, he shot and killed the bartender and three patrons before fleeing the scene. He was captured seven days later by a multi-agency fugitive task force, and later charged with four counts of murder, one count of arson, one count of theft, and one count of eluding police. A trial date was set for January 12, 2026.
The shooting occurred around 10:30a.m. at The Owl Bar in Anaconda. Prior to the shooting, the suspect allegedly burned a cardboard pizza box in a failed attempt to ignite a bucket filled with a flammable or explosive material behind the bar. He then allegedly retrieved a 7.62 mm caliberassault rifle that he owned from his residence next door before returning to shoot and kill the bartender and three patrons.[1][2][3] The suspect then fled the scene in his underwear and stole a white Ford F-150; investigators believe he later put on clothes.[4][5][6] Police found the truck on Stumptown Road west of Anaconda.[7][5]
The suspect was captured on August 8 on a property adjacent to Montana Highway 1 west of Anaconda by members of the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, which consisted of law enforcement officers from the United States Forest Service, the Montana Highway Patrol, Laurel Police Department, Great Falls Police Department, and Montana Probation and Parole. Authorities had announced a $10,000 reward for information on his whereabouts.[2] Multiple local, state, and federal agencies assisted in the search.[8]
Victims
The four victims were identified as 64-year-old Nancy Lauretta Kelly, 59-year-old Daniel Edwin Ballie, 70-year-old David Allen Leach, and 74-year-old Tony Wayne Palm. Kelly was a bartender and the other three were patrons.[9] The Owl Bar's owner said he believed the suspect knew all four of the victims. He also said the four victims were likely the only people in the bar at the time of the shooting.[10]
Suspect
The charged defendant was identified as 45-year-old longtime Anaconda resident Michael Paul Brown who lived next door to the bar. Brown had previously served in the United States Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005, was deployed in Iraq from early 2004 to March 2005, and was part of the Montana National Guard from 2006 to 2009 before he left military service with the rank of sergeant. Brown was said to have been struggling with mental health issues.[11]
On August 11, 2025, Brown made his first court appearance in a county court in Anaconda where the judge set a $2 million bond on the condition that the defendant would waive his right to confidentiality, not change his address, not engage in any criminal activities, avoid any contact with the alleged victim's families, and not enter any bars or taverns.[12] On September 3, a district judge granted the prosecution's request to hold Brown without bail in the interest of public safety after defense attorneys raised concerns about his mental health.[1] On that date, Brown was also charged with four counts of deliberate homicide, one count of arson, one count of theft, and one count of evading law enforcement.[13] Brown entered a plea of not guilty and a trial was scheduled for January 12, 2026. A prosecuting attorney told the court a decision on whether to pursue the death penalty remained pending.[1]
On October 1, in an omnibus hearing memorandum filled out by both state and defense attorneys, questions were raised about Brown having a "mental disease or defect" which would inhibit his ability to defend himself during his sentencing. Brown's defense attorneys also requested a change of venue.[14]
Reactions and aftermath
Montana governor Greg Gianforte said that "devastation struck this small Montana community of Anaconda" in response to the shooting.[15] During the manhunt, Gianforte signed an executive order which would allow the state to share the costs of the manhunt and opened up additional funds to be funneled into the search operations.[16] Montana senator Steve Daines thanked law enforcement for their effort in apprehending the suspect and said that "Anaconda and the surrounding community showed the country the resilience and grit that makes MT special".[15]
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Chief Executive Bill Everett expressed gratitude for the statewide multi-agency response to the shooting. Everett described the response as "phenomenal" and said that law enforcement officers were "going full bore".[17] In the months after the shooting, local officials grappled with covering the costs of the manhunt and were exploring the possibility of laying off four police officers for nine months or increasing taxes by over 20 millage. However, Gianforte reached out to Everett by phone and offered state funds to cover $450,000 in costs sustained by local law enforcement during the manhunt. In a city-county meeting in November 2025, it was decided to levy two millage onto taxpayers to help cover the costs of the manhunt.[18]
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