DEER LODGE – Law enforcement in Deer Lodge exchanged gunfire with a resident inside that home at the intersection of Larabie and Higgins streets Monday morning.
Powell County Sheriff Scott Howard said the suspect was shot in the standoff and taken to the hospital.
There are several homes in the neighborhood where the standoff took place and some residents said they actually heard the gunfire. One resident, who lives just across the street from where the standoff occurred actually saw the gunfight take place.
“I looked over and could see the two cops behind the building there and the one had a decent rifle and then all the sudden I heard tic-tic-tic-tic and could see stuff flying off the back of the house,” said Joe Spier.
He was so surprised by the events he thought he was actually witnessing a police training exercise.
“Seen them coming out the back of the house, seen the glass flying. I thought at first it was a training exercise; they were shooting paintball guns because you could see the blast. That’s when I called dispatch, because maybe this wasn’t a training exercise,” said Spier.
During the standoff the schools were put on lockdown until the situations was all clear.
Howard said the victim was being treated at St. Patrick’s Hospital in Missoula. The state Division of Criminal Investigation was called in to investigate the shooting.
Reporting by John Emeigh for MTN News
