HELENA – The Lewis and Clark Co. Prosecutors Office filed charges Monday in the shooting death of a Helena doctor in the former Kmart parking lot.
Gregg Trude, 62, is facing one count of negligent homicide and one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, both felonies.
The charges are listed in a complaint filed by the Helena Police Department.
Police responded to reports of a gunshot in the area of the former Kmart parking lot on Oct. 21.
There they found Dr. Eugene “Buzz” Walton with an apparent gunshot wound. First responders attempted life-saving measures. Walton was then taken by ambulance to St. Peter’s Health, where he was pronounced dead.
Helena police had previously said Walton and another man had just returned from a hunting trip and the gun discharged when the other man attempted to retrieve his rifle from the back of the truck.
Trude has been ordered to appear in Justice Court on Dec. 11.
Trude previously ran for Montana House Dist. 75, where he was defeated in the June 2018 primary.
On his LinkedIn page, he lists himself as an NRA rifle and handgun instructor and a member of the National Right to Life board of directors.
— Story by Eric Jochim – MTN News
