Man Accused in Christmas Eve Road Rage Shooting Pleads Not Guilty
Mitchell Alexander Kleinman, 24, pleaded not guilty to felony counts of attempted deliberate homicide and criminal endangerment after allegedly shooting another driver in the head and firing multiple rounds at his vehicle with a child in the backseat
By Maggie Dresser
A 24-year-old Flathead County man accused of shooting a driver in the head during a road rage incident on Christmas Eve pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony count of attempted deliberate homicide and a second count of criminal endangerment.
Mitchell Alexander Kleinman entered the not guilty plea during a Jan. 15 arraignment hearing in Flathead County District Court before Judge Heidi Ulbricht. He is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond. A bail modification hearing is scheduled for Feb. 5 at 9 a.m.
According to charging documents filed on Dec. 26, 2025 by Deputy Flathead County Attorney Amy Kenison, dispatchers received a call at 2:16 p.m. on Dec. 24 from a man later identified as Jesse Lamberson, who was pulled over near Sullivan Cross Road and explained he had just been shot in the head by someone driving a blue Mercedes-Benz, which was last seen in a nearby driveway.
When Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived on scene, Lamberson’s black Toyota Tundra was parked in front of a residence on Columbia Falls Stage Road where he was sitting in the driver’s seat with his 8-year-old child — who was unharmed — in the backseat.
Lamberson told authorities he was driving northbound on Columbia Falls Stage Road when another vehicle in front of him slowed to turn, at which point the Mercedes drove around him and the turning vehicle, records state.
After passing, the driver of the Mercedes, who was later identified as Kleinman, then pulled in front of Lamberson before stopping and exiting his vehicle to check his mail.
Lamberson then pulled over to confront Kleinman, who allegedly took out a pistol and began shooting at Lamberson’s vehicle, according to documents.
Neighbors on Columbia Falls Stage Road reportedly heard a few gun shots and saw Lamberson pull up their driveway where he informed them he had been shot.
On the scene, Lamberson told authorities he couldn’t hear from his right ear, which deputies noticed was bleeding from a bullet wound.
Law enforcement also observed the front window of Lamberson’s Tundra was shattered with a bullet hole in the outside mirror, another in the passenger front headrest and additional bullet holes in the topper. There were 10 bullet holes in the rear passenger door and window where the 8-year-old was crying and sitting in a booster seat in the backseat of the passenger side. Lamberson was transported to Logan Health for treatment.
Meanwhile, Kleinman also called 911 after law enforcement had already been dispatched to the area at 2:22 p.m. to report that a man in a black truck, later identified as Lamberson, was parked in front of his mailbox. According to court records, Kleinman admitted to dispatchers that he shot Lamberson because he thought Lamberson would shoot him. Dispatch advised him to store his firearm and wait for law enforcement to arrive, according to documents.
When deputies arrived on the scene, Kleinman was outside the residence where he was instructed to walk to the end of the driveway with his hands up. He then said, “I’m not a threat, I was scared for my life, I didn’t know what that guy was gonna do,” according to charging documents.
Kleinman continued defending his actions and making statements that included, “I did nothing” and “I got in the turn lane” after law enforcement repeatedly told him they did not want to talk about details and that they wanted to detain him. He was then placed in handcuffs while he continued explaining himself, court records state, saying, “I promise I wouldn’t do nothing like this out of nothin’,” and said he was blocking his entrance while accusing Lamberson of attempting to hit him as he pulled into the driveway.
During Kleinman’s transport to the Flathead County Sherrif’s Office for an interview, he told law enforcement the weapon was in a BMW parked in the garage and that it was not loaded. He also said he fired the handgun, which had a full magazine, about halfway down the driveway. He was uncertain how many rounds he had fired.
Kleinman, who is represented by defense attorney Scott Hilderman, is scheduled to stand trial on Aug. 17, 2026. He faces a maximum sentence of 100 years in the Montana State Prison.