PHILIPSBURG — The mass shooting that occurred in Anaconda on Friday morning sent shockwaves through not only the community of Anaconda but also the surrounding communities, including Phillipsburg.
“I was just sad that this has happened in our close community. So that's pretty much all I can say about it, is I'm sorry that it happened, and I hope they catch the guy,” said Brianna Schachtschneider, a Philipsburg resident.
“It's so peaceful of a town and estate, you know, and I was from California, and I'm glad to be out of there, but sometimes we get reminders of, what's really going on with some people, you know?” said Rich Craig, another Philipsburg resident.
For residents of Philipsburg, the shooting came as a surprise, but they know that some things come with the area that they live in. Something that MTN heard from multiple residents.
“Well, once in a while, you know, I've had some weirdos come in here, and I've called the sheriff's office,” said Schachtschneider.
Another common theme residents mentioned was their faith in law enforcement being able to find the suspect.
“I have faith in our police force and the Grand County Sheriff's Department that they're handling it. I think that some of the community's a little shocked by what happened to the four people, but I think that as long as we have faith in it, they're going to be finding it and doing their jobs,” said Jeremiah Smith, a Philipsburg resident and bartender.
And while the suspect is still at large, community members are coming together to stay safe.
“We're just being vigilant as a community. We're a small town and Anaconda is part of our community also, so everyone's been networking and sharing information," said Smith.
“My brother's out on a motorcycle ride today over in Anaconda, and I said, 'You better call and find out if it's still going on. It was still going on.' And, you know, the only thing is I'm careful about locking the house, you know, real careful, and, you know, locking the car,” said Schachtschneider.
MTN spoke with several other Philipsburg residents who asked not to be on camera, and what we heard from them was that they were at a heightened awareness, as after an event like this, the impacts of it can be rippling. MTN is closely following this story and will continue to update you as information becomes available.
