Montana News

Reported assault in Townsend ends with apparent suicide

Posted: Mar 1, 2013 12:20 PM by Melissa Anderson - MTN News
Updated: Mar 1, 2013 12:26 PM

TOWNSEND - What started out as a report of an assault ended in what investigators are calling an apparent suicide.

A 29-year-old man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities have not yet released his name.

Broadwater County Sheriff's deputies received a call shortly before 3 a.m. of an assault by a person carrying a baseball bat. A second call later led authorities to a trailer home on the corner of Sixth and Front streets.

"At 5 a.m. this morning, Broadwater County Sheriff's deputies responded to the residence behind me to locate a subject in an assault (with a weapon) case. When they went to make contact with the individual he had discharged a firearm in their direction," Undersheriff Wynn Meehan said.

After more deputies and Montana Highway Patrol troopers arrived at the scene, the sound of a second shot was heard from inside the residence.

Vivian Wallace, who lives next door, said she heard the shots .

"A few minutes later I was called by the sheriff's office and asked to be evacuated from my house because there was a shootout going on. I saw (the man) bust some windows out and I saw the barrel of the gun and he was shooting at the officers," Wallace said.

Authorities say that no one else was hurt during the incident, and no shots were fired by law enforcement personnel.

The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation is now in charge of the crime scene and are still reviewing evidence.

"We just felt it was necessary to have an outside agency come in and investigate the incident, as well as (Lewis & Clark County Coroner) Mickey Nelson's going to take over the coroner duties as well," said Meehan.