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Man Waving Toy Gun Struck, Killed by Vehicle in Lake County

Officials received a report of a shirtless man acting erratically and waving a rifle on Timberlane Road near Ronan

By Associated Press

HELENA — Authorities say a man waving a realistic-looking toy rifle on a road in northwestern Montana died after being struck by a vehicle.

Lake County Sheriff Donald Bell said in a statement Monday 35-year-old Aaron Thiel of Ronan was airlifted to a hospital Friday and died the next day.

Bell says officials received a report of a shirtless man acting erratically and waving a rifle on Timberlane Road near Ronan.

Before officers arrived, another person called to report that he or she had struck the man with a vehicle and that the man had pointed his rifle at the driver before the collision.

Responding officers found the man alive but unresponsive. He had an airsoft rifle, a realistic-looking gun that uses gas to fire plastic pellets.

Bell did not immediately respond to a request for additional details.