Time stood still for the locals of a small Montana town nestled in a quiet, scenic mountain valley after an Army veteran shot dead four bar patrons and went into hiding.
For seven days, the quiet charm of Anaconda gave way to fear as the town’s residents slept beside their guns at night and eyed their once peaceful, tree-lined neighborhoods that had become potential hiding places for a mass murderer on the run.
On August 1, Michael Paul Brown walked into The Owl Bar near his home in Anaconda and fatally shot Daniel Baillie, 59; Nancy Kelley, 64; David Leach, 70; and Tony Palm, 74, authorities said.
Brown had irrevocably scarred a beloved gathering spot, known for its cozy, neon-lit interior plastered with glowing beer logo signs and posters jeering with bawdy bar jokes and wisecracks.
“He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that,” owner David Gwerder told The Associated Press. “He didn’t have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped.”
