A 54-year-old Eureka man who pointed a rifle at a Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy is hospitalized in Kalispell after being shot by the deputy, County Attorney Bernie Cassidy said Wednesday.
Cassidy said officers were investigating a report that a man had been shooting a gun in a house Tuesday when they spotted the suspect’s vehicle as he was apparently heading back to the house. Cassidy said the suspect stopped, got out of his vehicle and pointed a rifle at a deputy, who shot the man.
“I don’t know if the suspect got off a shot,” said Cassidy, who was awaiting reports from the Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation.
Lead investigator Dave Schettine of Kalispell did not return a phone call seeking comment.
A spokesman at the Kalispell Regional Medical Center said the man was hospitalized in serious but stable condition Wednesday with gunshot wounds to the chest and arm. Cassidy said the suspect could face a charge of assault on a peace officer.
Cassidy would not release the name of the deputy or the suspect.