Authorities have released the names of the victim and suspect involved in a murder and attempted suicide in Fort Benton on Thanksgiving day.
The victim is 50-year old Leslie Davidson; she died of gunshot wound and was found at the scene on Chouteau Street in Fort Benton.
The suspect in the case has been identified as 38-year old Daniel Paulsrud; investigators believe Paulsrud killed Davidson and then turned the gun on himself.
Paulsrud is currently listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center. Chouteau County Attorney Steve Gannon indicated that no charges have been filed yet.
Davidson and Paulsrud had been involved in a relationship and living together. Neither of them lived at the apartments where the shooting occurred.
We've been told by neighbors in the area that the property was owned by Davidson's family and that she was in the process of remodeling the apartments
One person is dead and another is hospitalized after what appears to be a murder and attempted suicide in Fort Benton on Thanksgiving day.
Local authorities tell KRTV that Fort Benton police were dispatched to an apartment complex around 5:00 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, where they found a dead woman, an apparent victim of a homicide.
A man who was an acquaintance of the victim was found lying near a pickup truck parked in the street with a self-inflicted gun shot wound.
The man was taken to Missouri River Medical Center in Fort Benton, then sent by Mercy Flight to Great Falls. He has since been transferred to a Seattle hospital with life-threatening injuries.
We talked with a neighbor in the area who tells us the victim in the case was managing the apartment complex and in the process of remodeling some of the apartments.
We're told neither the suspect or the victim lived in the apartment where the shooting occurred and that it was currently vacant. Authorities indicate the man and the woman were involved in a relationship, but did not elaborate.
At this time, it's not clear how many shots were fired but one of the neighbors reported that two shots were heard yesterday afternoon around 4:30, but the family thought it was nearby deer hunters.
The State Division of Criminal Investigation is currently investigating the case, with assistance from Fort Benton Police and the Chouteau County Sheriff's office.
The names of the suspect and the victim have not yet been released.
- Heath Heggem reporting for KRTV
