At about 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 1, 2025, a man walked into the Owl Bar in Anaconda and began shooting, killing four people. He then fled the scene in a pickup truck. Residents of Anaconda and the surrounding area were advised to stay inside and remain vigilant.
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The suspect was soon identified as 45-year old Michael Brown, who was said to be armed and extremely dangerous.
Law enforcement officers from several agencies began searching for Brown, concentrating their efforts in the mountains near Stumptown Road just west of Anaconda.
Later in the day, authorities found the truck that he fled in, but Brown was not in it.
Some reports indicated that Brown had fled to the Georgetown Lake area, several miles northwest of Anaconda.
The Granite County Sheriff's Office said in a news release: "Suspect house in Anaconda was cleared by SWAT, suspect still at large. Avoid the Anaconda area. Stay vigilant, report any suspicious activity to the Granite County Sheriff’s office."
Governor Greg Gianforte said in a news release: "I'm closely monitoring the situation involving an active shooter in Anaconda. Please join Susan and me in praying for the victims, their loved ones, and the brave law enforcement officers responding to this tragedy."
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives says that it is "responding to a shooting where multiple parties have been shot at a business in Anaconda, MT."
During a brief news conference in Anaconda just after 10 p.m., Lee Johnson, administrator of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), said that the four victims have been identified, and their names would be released after all family members have been notified.
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Johnson also confirmed that Brown was still at large, and the search was continuing.
On Saturday, August 2, MTN News talked with Clare Boyle, the niece of Brown. She and her family are heartbroken over the situation and the four lives that were lost.
Boyle said, “My heart breaks for this town. There is no amount of apology or words that could ever describe how sorry I am and how I feel for these families, my own included.”
Boyle told MTN that Brown suffered from significant mental health challenges, including schizophrenia and PTSD from serving in the Army. Boyle said Brown moved around a lot and was a military brat, as his father also served.
According to Lt. Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson, Brown served in the U.S. Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and was deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005.
Brown was in the National Guard from 2006 to March 2009, Castro said. He left military service with the rank of sergeant.
Boyle told MTN that Brown’s schizophrenia worsened after losing his mother. “Mikee’s decline started really heavily when my grandma passed. The trauma from losing his last parent broke Mikee. The VA said he no longer qualified for assistance with obtaining prescriptions and help.”
According to Boyle, Brown had delusions of being a time traveler. She said, “He no longer drank alcohol because it ‘blocked his wizard powers’…Mikee is harmless 99% of the time when others aren’t asking him about and making fun of his delusions.”
Boyle says her family tried to get help for Brown through both the Montana VA and the Montana State Hospital.
She said, “The VA said he no longer qualified for assistance with obtaining prescriptions and help. The Montana State Hospital wouldn’t take him in unless it was a court order. The only way to obtain a court order was for Mikee to become a harm to himself or others. We warned them that a snap could happen and that he was not of sound mind, and we were still left with no answers and nowhere to turn.”
Anyone who sees Brown is advised to call 911 immediately, or call if they have any information regarding his location.
