A Montana city is on lockdown after four people were killed in a bar by an active shooter.
A shelter in place is in effect for Anaconda after a suspect identified by police as Michael Paul Brown, 45, allegedly opened fire inside Owl Bar in the city on Friday.
One person who spoke with MTN News said they had been at a nearby bar and saw the shooter walking around with a rifle.
Brown is armed and dangerous, according to The Anaconda Deer-Lodge County Law Enforcement Center which released an image of him amid the manhunt.
Officials said that he was last seen wearing a tie-dyed t shirt, blue jeans and an orange bandana.
Police said they pulled over the driver of a white Ford F-150 after chasing after the vehicle, but Brown was not inside the vehicle.
SWAT teams also raided Brown’s property, but he was not inside. According to records Brown’s home is directly adjacent to the bar.
The local sheriff’s office is urging residents to remain inside and stay ‘vigilant’.
A shelter in place is in effect for Anaconda after Michael Paul Brown, seen here, is said to have opened fire at Owl Bar in the city on Friday afternoon
One person who spoke with MTN News said they had been at a nearby bar and saw the shooter walking around with a rifle
Brown is armed and dangerous, according to The Anaconda Deer-Lodge County Law Enforcement Center
The suspect was last seen in the Stump Town area, which is just west of Anaconda, according to the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center.
He was believed to still be armed, the Montana Highway Patrol said in a statement.
The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, which is leading the investigation, confirmed four people were pronounced dead at the scene.
More than a dozen officers from local and state police converged on Stump Town where they appeared to be searching for the suspect in the woods.
The owner of the Firefly Café in Anaconda said she locked up her business after getting alerted to the shooting by a friend.
‘We are Montana, so guns are not new to us. For our town to be locked down, everybody´s pretty rattled,’ café owner Barbie Nelson told the Associated Press.
‘It´s a small town, so we all probably know someone who was there’ at the shooting. she added.
NBC Montana reporter Josh Margolis shared an image of a SWAT team near the bar shortly after 1pm Mountain Time.
The Owl Bar, left, is situated right beside Brown’s house, right, according to records
SWAT teams also raided Brown’s property, but he was not inside. According to records Brown’s home is directly adjacent to the bar
Police said they pulled over the driver of a white Ford F-150 after chasing after the vehicle, but Brown was not inside the vehicle
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Denver office said that multiple people had been shot inside a business in Anaconda.
A spokesperson for the FBI’s Salt Lake City office, which covers the area, said the bureau was assisting in the response.
‘There is a heavy law enforcement presence west of Anaconda near Stumptown Road and Anderson Ranch Loop Road,’ The Montana Highway Patrol said.
‘Authorities are searching for a suspect believed to be armed. Please avoid the area.’
Governor Greg Gianforte said he is ‘closely monitoring’ the situation.
‘Please join Susan and me in praying for the victims, their loved ones, and the brave law enforcement officers responding to this tragedy,’ he said.
Authorities have yet to release details about what led to the shooting or the conditions of those who were injured.
