GREAT FALLS — A 29-year-old man was fatally shot in Great Falls on Wednesday while federal, state and local authorities were trying to serve him with a warrant, the state attorney general’s office said.
The man, who was not identified, died at the residence where the shooting occurred, according to a state Department of Justice website.
The U.S. Marshals Service, the Great Falls Police Department and state parole and probation officers were attempting to serve a felony warrant to the man, agency spokesman John Barnes said.
It was not immediately clear what prompted the gunfire. Bryan Lockerby of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation called the investigation “complex.” He didn’t comment on who fired the shots or if the man shot at officers.
Neighbor Gary Lowry told the Great Falls Tribune that he heard gun shots that lasted 10 to 15 seconds.
Another neighbor, John Wendt, said he was sitting on his patio when he heard what he thought were fireworks.
“I thought it was a roll of firecrackers, but then I assumed it was too loud to be that. It had to be a gun of some sort,” Wendt said.
Great Falls Police Chief Dave Bowen requested that the state Division of Criminal Investigation lead the investigation.