Suspect in deadly Montana bar shooting has been captured, officials say

A Montana man accused of fatally shooting four people at a bar has been captured after a weeklong manhunt, authorities said Friday.

Michael Paul Brown, 45, was taken into custody around 2 p.m. Friday near an area law enforcement officers had been searching in Anaconda, according to the Montana Department of Justice.

“I am proud of the unrelenting law enforcement effort this week to find and arrest Michael Paul Brown,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said in a statement. “The support we’ve seen for the community of Anaconda from across the state and the nation has also been remarkable.”

Additional details about Brown’s apprehension were not immediately available.

A manhunt was launched for Brown on Aug. 1, when he is accused of walking into the Owl Bar next door to his home in Anaconda and opening fire, the Montana Department of Justice said.

The bartender and three patrons were killed.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen identified the four victims as Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64; Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; David Allen Leach, 70; and Tony Wayne Palm, 74.

All were from Anaconda.

Shane Charles, the owner of another bar who grew up with Brown in Anaconda, said Brown struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Brown served in the Army from 2001 to 2005, was deployed in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 and was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to 2009, the U.S. Army said.

Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, said that her uncle struggled with mental health issues.

A motive for the shooting is not known.