BILLINGS — A jury has determined that police were justified when they shot and killed a man who fired at them during a standoff in Billings.
The Billings Gazette reports a coroner’s inquest concluded Wednesday in the May 12 shooting death of 30-year-old Ryan Lowell.
Police had been called after a woman reported her boyfriend was threatening suicide and may be on the Rimrocks. A negotiator spoke to Lowell for nearly an hour without success.
Investigators say Lowell displayed a handgun several times before approaching officers and pointing a gun at them, eventually firing one shot. Four officers opened fire, killing the man.
Coroner’s inquests are required under Montana law whenever law enforcement is involved in a fatal shooting.