Suspect Still At Large As Montana Bar Shooting Manhunt Reaches Fourth Day
on Aug 04, 2025
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Manhunt Still Underway Four Days Later
The search for Michael Paul Brown, a 45‑year‑old former U.S. Army soldier wanted in connection with a deadly shooting at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana, entered its fourth day on Monday (August 4).
Brown allegedly killed four people, including the bartender and three patrons, before fleeing the scene in a white pickup truck.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen stated Sunday (August 3) that Brown is believed to remain armed and dangerous. Authorities are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his arrest.
“This is an unstable individual who walked in and murdered four people in cold blood for no reason whatsoever. So there absolutely is concern for the public,” Knudsen said.
Knudsen said investigators are exploring all possible leads regarding Brown’s whereabouts, including heavily searching wooded areas where he is known to have hunted and camped as a child.
The Attorney General acknowledged that due to the busy tourist season in western Montana, some law enforcement personnel may need to return to their regular duties in their home jurisdictions.
Details Surround The Shooting
Brown is believed to have used a personal rifle during the attack at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time, tragically killing Daniel Edwin Baillie (59), Nancy Lauretta Kelly (64), David Allen Leach (70), and Tony Wayne Palm (74).
Brown’s white Ford F‑150 pickup truck was recovered, but investigators believe he abandoned it and stole another vehicle containing shoes, clothing, and camping gear.
The search has involved over 250 ground personnel, as well as helicopters, drones, canine units, and infrared and thermal imaging, spanning roughly 22 square miles of rugged forest and foothill terrain west of Anaconda.
“This is a small, tight-knit community that has been harmed by the heinous actions of one individual who does not represent what this community or Montanans stand for,” Lee Johnson, administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, said.
Brown reportedly lived next door to the Owl Bar and was a regular patron, who reportedly knew some of the victims.
“He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that,” The Owl Bar’s owner, David Gwerder, said. “He didn’t have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped.”
Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, told the Associated Press that he “has struggled with mental illness for years.”
“This isn’t just a drunk/high man going wild,” she said. “It’s a sick man who doesn’t know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn’t know where or when he is either.”
