EUREKA — A Lincoln County Sheriff's deputy was killed after being shot as he and an Eureka Police officer responded to a disturbance call at 8:23 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, 2026.
According to Lincoln County Sheriff Darren Short, 28-year-old Deputy Ryan Terpsma was killed, and an Eureka Police Officer was also struck by gunfire. The officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
According to Short, the suspect, Matthew David Dye, 50, of Kalispell, fled the scene with a 7-year-old girl. He was pursued by Flathead County Sheriff's Deputies, and fired at deputies, disabling 2 patrol cars.
Dye was stopped and surrendered at a roadblock on Highway 93.
During the investigation, law enforcement discovered that Merrisa Walker, 46, had also been shot and killed at the scene of the original call. A juvenile girl was also injured, but was treated and released.
In a release, Sheriff Short stated: "It has been trying times in Lincoln County during the last year. We are all deeply affected by the loss of Deputy Terpsma but know we can count on our community to support the Sheriff’s Office and each other as we grieve the loss of this fine young man."
Dye will be charged in Terpsma's death and will have an initial hearing in Lincoln County Justice Court sometime next week.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
