A man is dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following a traffic stop on Montana Highway 35 Monday night.
According to a press release, a Montana Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a vehicle on Highway 35 near Turtle Mountain Road, just outside Creston, around 7 p.m. When the deputy made contact with the vehicle’s driver, he noticed the man was armed, and at some point during the encounter the driver allegedly shot himself in the head. The man was airlifted from the scene by A.L.E.R.T. air ambulance but died at the hospital. The incident closed Highway 35 for several hours Monday and into early Tuesday morning.
During an investigation of the incident, law enforcement determined the responding trooper’s taser had been deployed but, to this point, had not found evidence the trooper’s service weapon was fired.
The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident. The driver’s name will be released once family notifications are completed.