Updated: 10 a.m., July 25
Two people are dead in a possible murder-suicide following a police pursuit on U.S. Highway 93 between Kalispell and Whitefish late Wednesday night.
According to the Kalispell Police Department, a vehicle with Oregon plates was pulled over along U.S. Highway 93 just north of West Reserve Drive at approximately 9:45 p.m. Wednesday. A Kalispell officer approached the vehicle and had a brief interaction with a male and female inside.
The vehicle then fled the scene and a brief pursuit north on U.S. Highway 93 ensued. Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies deployed a spike strip near Happy Valley that deflated the fleeing vehicle’s tires. The vehicle then went into the ditch. After several attempts to get the occupants to surrender, officers approached the vehicle where they found both people dead from apparent gunshot wounds.
The two people involved in the chase have not been identified.
The highway was briefly closed between Meadow Lane and Hodgson Road while detectives surveyed the scene.
The incident remains under investigation by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.
This story will be updated when additional information becomes available.