A man is dead after gunshots were exchanged with law enforcement officers on Highway 35 in Woods Bay following a pursuit that began in Flathead County on Tuesday.
Highway 35 is closed in both directions as of 4 p.m. Tuesday and will remain closed for several hours as officials from the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conduct their investigation. The shooting occurred near mile marker 26.5 in Woods Bay.
The pursuit was related to an alleged homicide in Flathead County, according to Flathead County Undersheriff Wayne DuBois. DuBois said deputies were investigating the death of an adult female on Tuesday when they identified a vehicle related to that homicide. A pursuit began in Flathead County and culminated in Woods Bay, where a deputy from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office used spike strips to disable the vehicle. The man inside the vehicle then allegedly fired at deputies from Flathead County and officers with the Montana Highway Patrol, who returned fire.
Both the alleged homicide and the officer-involved shooting remain under investigation.
This story will be updated as more information is made available.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the gender of the alleged homicide victim in Kalispell.