UPDATE: Man Charged in Fatal Whitefish Shooting

A 32-year-old Whitefish man remains in jail on a homicide charge after an early Tuesday morning shooting at an apartment complex in Whitefish that left another man dead following an altercation over loud noise levels.

Steven Justin Hedrick was booked in the Flathead County Detention Center on Jan. 24 on a felony charge of deliberate homicide. His bail has been set at $750,000.

According to an affidavit filed Jan. 25 by Deputy Flathead County Attorney Andrew Clegg, Whitefish Police Department officers responded to the shooting at 1:27 a.m. on Jan. 24. Upon arrival, they found several people standing outside the apartment complex, including a “distraught female” and Hedrick, who was on crutches and identified himself as the shooting suspect when asked by officers.

Law enforcement located the deceased victim, who had an apparent gunshot wound to the head, on the first-floor hallway of Locals Monthly Lodging at 6400 Highway 93 South.

Prior to the shooting, the victim, who lived on the second floor, was “loudly” knocking on the door of his ex-girlfriend’s room, who lived two doors down from Hedrick, and was yelling for her. During the investigation, she told officers that they had broken up and the victim moved out of their shared room the day before, according to charging documents.

When the loud knocking continued, Hedrick confronted the victim and another neighbor threatened to call the cops, prompting the noise to stop.

The suspect went outside following the confrontation to smoke a cigarette and returned to his room. Shortly after, he heard “normal” knocking again on his neighbor’s door and Hedrick retrieved a silver revolver and placed it on a counter next to the door, out of the victim’s view.

Hedrick opened the door and began communicating with the victim again when the confrontation escalated. The victim began yelling and “posturing” toward Hedrick, who raised the revolver, pulled the hammer back and aimed it at the victim’s head. This prompted him to approach Hedrick and, according to court records, the victim placed his hand on the barrel of the gun while it was aimed at his face. He was then shot through his mouth, records state.

Hedrick told officers, according to court records, that he “just had (the gun) there for a show of strength.”

Hedrick’s arraignment hearing is scheduled for Feb. 9 at 9 a.m. before Judge Amy Eddy.