The search for the man accused of killing four people at a Montana bar on Friday morning expanded from the edge of town to adjacent national forest land, authorities indicated.
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest said late Saturday that more than 16 square miles of parkland is closed through Aug. 16 to facilitate the search for Michael Paul Brown, 45, who is alleged to have opened fire at the Owl Bar next door to his Anaconda home.
The national forest's Pintler Ranger District ordered the area about 8 miles west of Anaconda to be closed through the end of Aug. 16 "to ensure public health and safety during the ongoing law enforcement investigation and search efforts to locate the suspect for the Anaconda murders," it said in a statement.
The Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center said the closure includes "Barker Lake and surrounding area."
The forest area closure indicates a shift in focus from the wooded area off of Stumptown Road, where the Montana Department of Justice said law enforcement was deployed.
The attack took place at 10:30 a.m., according to the department's investigations administrator Lee Johnson.
The department said Saturday that the victims killed in the shooting were a bartender and three patrons. Officials have not publicly released their names.
A motive for the shooting is still unknown.
Brown is believed to be armed and dangerous, according to the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center.
Authorities said he was wearing a tie-dye shirt, blue jeans and an orange bandana on Friday. However, a picture released Saturday by the Montana DOJ showed him fleeing the scene, apparently stripped down to just his boxers.
In a video update Saturday afternoon, Bill Sather, chief of police for the city and Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, thanked residents for enduring what he called a “stressful and tragic” time, and said they could carry on, though he also urged caution.
“It’s OK to go about your business in town, but please use caution,” he said. “If you see anything suspicious, please call 911.”
Sather said law enforcement is being more than thorough and doing everything in its power to find Brown.
Anaconda resident Hope Hollingsworth said the mood in the area right now is somber, and that residents are taking seriously warnings to remain vigilant and stay inside.
“It’s a heavy and sad and intense time,” said Hollingsworth, who described Anaconda as “idyllic” and “kind of like a throwback to a simpler time.”
“This is hurting everyone. It’s just a beautiful and just and kind community that this is going to impact us for for a long time,” Hollingsworth said.
Jamie Knight, who also lives in town, said people are "on edge." She said there is not an official lockdown, but a lot of businesses have closed.
The suspect has a history of mental illness, friend says
The bar's owner, David Gwerder, told The Associated Press that Brown knew everyone in the bar at the time of the shooting.
"He didn’t have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped," Gwerder told the outlet.
Brown's niece, Clare Boyle, told the AP that her uncle struggled with mental health issues.
"This isn’t just a drunk/high man going wild," she wrote in a Facebook post cited by the AP. "It’s a sick man who doesn’t know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn’t know where or when he is either."
Shane Charles knows the suspect from growing up together in Anaconda. He's the owner of Carmel’s Sports Bar and Grill, one block away from the Owl Bar.
"Mike was a great guy when he was on his meds. He did have some mental health problems," Charles said in an interview with NBC News. When Brown isn’t taking medication, Charles said, he struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, and this fact is common knowledge in their small town.
Brown served in the Army from 2001 to 2005 and was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to 2009, U.S. Army spokesperson Steve Warren said. He was deployed in Iraq from 2004 to 2005, Warren said.
Charles heard about the shooting from another friend who texted him Friday morning to make sure he was OK. He also said he knows a couple of the victims but declined to release their names.
He said he has never seen Brown be violent, even though he has heard his friend say violent things. Charles said he never thought Brown would would kill anyone, even if he were to be violent.
While Charles does not think his friend will evade law enforcement, he did say Brown knows the area well from growing up in the town.
"It's sad that this has had to happen to a small community that is so tight-knitted," Charles said. "Everybody in our community tries and helps everybody. I mean, if you're down, somebody will pick you up, and we're all down right now."
