MISSOULA – Ivory Brien, an accomplice in the convenience store shooting in March that injured two people, has reached a plea agreement with Missoula County prosecutors.
Brien, 19 years old, was originally charged with two charges of accountability for attempted deliberate homicide in connection with the shooting at South Avenue Market on March 6th.
Brien is accused of pepper-spraying customers at South Avenue Market while Chase Munson, 18, is being charged with shooting two victims.
A customer was shot in the back of the head and an employee was shot in the shoulder. Both victims survived their injuries.
Missoula County Deputy County Attorney Mac Bloom confirmed with MTN News that Brien pleaded guilty to amended charges of felony conspiracy to commit robbery, as well as two misdemeanor assault charges last Thursday, in Cascade County District Court.
Blooms says a sentencing date has not yet been determined.
Prosecutors are awaiting an order from the court on that point. The sentencing may take place in Missoula or Great Falls. It will be up to the Judge Gregory Pinski of Great Falls to decide on the location.
Munson has pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted deliberate homicide.
His jury trial is set for October 3rd.
Reporting by Melissa Rafferty for MTN News
(MARCH 9, 2018) Chase James Munson and Ivory Brien, who were arrested earlier this week in connection with the shooting of two people at a Missoula convenience store, appeared in Missoula County Justice Court Friday.
Munson, 18 years old, was charged with two counts of attempted deliberate homicide; prosecutors say he used a .22 revolver to shoot two people at the South Avenue Market on Tuesday. His bail was set at $1 million.
Brien, 19, was charged with two counts of accountability to attempted deliberate homicide. His bail was also set at $1 million.
According to court documents, the pair was out “car-hopping” on March 6 before heading to South Avenue Market. Munson was armed with the revolver and Brien was carrying pepper spray.
There were two people in the convenience store when the suspects walked in. Prosecutors say that Munson shot the first victim in the back, and then stood over the person once they were on the ground and shot the person in the head.
The second victim was a store clerk, and he attempted to hide behind the counter. Munson went behind the counter and stood over the clerk before shooting him in the shoulder, prosecutors say.
They added that Brien was spraying both victims with pepper spray during the incident.
The store employee was treated and released from a Missoula hospital. The other victim remains hospitalized; there is no word on the person’s current condition.
Both suspects left the scene without taking anything from the store, and returned to a dormitory at the University of Montana.
Munson packed a bag and checked into a hotel room where he was later arrested. Prosecutors say he told others that he was planning to leave the country for Mexico.
Public defenders say Munson has no criminal history, was enrolled as a student at UM and has family in Missoula. Brien is from Arlee originally and has no criminal history.
Neither of the victims were armed, prosecutors say.
Both men are suspected to have been using Xanax at the time of the shooting.
