Montana Bar Shooting: Suspect Faces Additional Charges, Including Attempted Arson
A man charged in the killing of four people at a bar in Anaconda, Montana, is now facing additional charges, including attempted arson, officials said Wednesday. Michael Paul Brown, a 45-year-old former soldier, allegedly shot a bartender and three patrons at The Owl Bar in Anaconda on Aug. 1, before evading capture for a week.
Brown’s family has said he long struggled with mental illness, which could be an issue in the case, according to his attorneys. State District Judge Jeffrey Dahood ordered Brown to be held without bail, citing public safety and the mental health issues raised by his attorneys. Brown appeared by video from jail in Butte, Montana, and pleaded not guilty to charges that also include four counts of murder, theft, and eluding police.
The owner of The Owl Bar, David Gwerder, said investigators told him that Brown lit a cardboard pizza box on fire, hoping to use it as a “fuse” to ignite a bucket of flammable or explosive material. However, the bucket did not ignite, and Brown allegedly left the bar, then returned a minute later with a gun and shot everyone who was there. Brown also tried to damage or destroy the building by lighting objects inside it on fire, according to newly released court documents.
Investigation and Charges
A conviction for murder, known in Montana as deliberate homicide, can be punishable by death in the state. However, executions in Montana have been on hold since 2015 under a court ruling regarding a drug used in lethal injections. A decision on whether to seek the death penalty against Brown is pending, according to Deer Lodge County Attorney Morgan Smith.
Brown had patronized the bar over several decades and knew the victims, Gwerder said. Investigators have also been examining whether he had any contact with individuals or property owners who might have helped him while he was on the run. Brown allegedly stole a truck that he ditched several miles outside of town at the base of a mountain before escaping into the forest. He hid for a week in that area west of Anaconda, where he was eventually apprehended on Aug. 8 inside an unoccupied structure near a bar in the small community of Stumptown.
A trial is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2026. Authorities have not commented on a possible motive, and much of the case against Brown has been sealed by the judge. For more information on this case, visit Here
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