Law enforcement officials reopened U.S. Highway 2 Thursday afternoon after it was closed this morning from West Glacier to East Glacier following a multiple-county police chase and an officer-involved shooting that left the suspect dead, according to Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino.
Officials say the state Division of Criminal Investigation was on the scene investigating the incident as of Thursday afternoon. The Great Falls Police Department is conducting the homicide and kidnapping investigation.
According to the Great Falls Police Department, officers in Great Falls were dispatched to a domestic disturbance at 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning where they found one person deceased and learned the suspect had fled from Cascade County with a hostage. A pursuit ensued.
The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office was first dispatched at 5 a.m. upon learning the suspect was heading to the area.
The chase ended around 6:20 a.m. in Flathead County on Highway 2. According to Heino, the man exited the vehicle near Cascadilla Creek with a gun before officers shot him. Heino said the officer was not part of the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office. The hostage was recovered safely.
Eight agencies — including the Great Falls Police Department, Glacier, Toole and Flathead county sheriff’s departments, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Service and U.S. Marshals — were involved in the incident.