On August 1, 2025, a mass shooting occurred at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana, United States. The suspect, who lived next door to the bar, is said to have entered the bar and shot and killed four people. The victims were a bartender and three patrons. He then fled the bar and was at large until his capture on August 8, 2025.
Prior to the shooting, the suspect allegedly burned a cardboard pizza box in an attempt to ignite a bucket filled with a flammable or explosive material behind the bar. After failing to start a fire, he is suspected of returning to his home next door and arming himself.[1]
The shooting occurred around 10:30 a.m. at The Owl Bar. According to authorities, the suspect entered the bar with a rifle he owned and shot the bartender and three patrons.[2] Police scanner traffic indicated the perpetrator was believed to be armed with a 7.62 mm caliberassault rifle.[3] The suspect then fled in his underwear, though investigators believe he later put on clothes.[4] Police found his white Ford F-150 on Stumptown Road west of Anaconda.[5][6]
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.[8] 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.[9]
Suspect
The charged defendant is Michael Paul Brown,[10] a 45-year-old longtime Anaconda resident who lived next door to the bar. Brown was born on October 31, 1979, and 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. He 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, was given a $2 million bond and ordered that if he were to be released on bond he would waive his right to confidentiality, that he could not change his address, engage in any criminal activities, avoid any contact with the alleged victim's families, and that he could not enter any bars or taverns.[12] On September 3, a district judge ordered him to be held without bail due to the threat the suspect posed if he were to be released. The suspect pleaded not guilty and a decision as to whether the death penalty would be pursued remained pending. The trial was scheduled for January 12, 2026.[1]
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