Police on Sunday continued their search for the former soldier suspected of fatally shooting four people at a Montana bar late last week.
Michael Paul Brown, 45, fled from The Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana, after allegedly committing the shooting using a rifle believed to be his personal weapon, according to authorities.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen provided the public with an update on Sunday, warning people in the local area to remain vigilant, as the suspect could return. He lived in a home next to the bar.
“This is an unstable individual who walked in and murdered four people in cold blood for no reason whatsoever. So there absolutely is concern for the public,” Knudsen said.
The deceased victims, ranging in age from 59 to 74, were a female bartender and three male patrons. The victims were identified as Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64; Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; David Allen Leach, 70; and Tony Wayne Palm, 74.
“He literally lived next door,” Knudsen added. “I think it’s likely he knew the bartender and these patrons, which makes this even more heinous.”
Brown’s whereabouts are still unknown two days after the shooting. Law enforcement believes he abandoned the vehicle in which he escaped and stole a separate vehicle containing camping gear, shoes, and clothes. He was last seen in surveillance footage wearing few clothes and no shoes.
Knudsen noted the suspect was known to law enforcement before the shooting.
Brown served in the Army as an armor crewman, meaning he operated armored vehicles, from 2001 to 2005, according to an Army spokesperson. He was also stationed in Iraq from 2004 to 2005. After his deployment, Brown served in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to 2009 before leaving the military as a sergeant.
Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, said her uncle suffers from schizophrenia and suggests Friday’s shooting could have been prevented if the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Montana State Hospital had treated his mental illness.
OFFICIALS SCOUR MOUNTAINOUS AREA OF MONTANA FOR EX-US SOLDIER SUSPECTED OF KILLING 4 IN BAR SHOOTING
“He’s a human being. A very sick one at that. There are no excuses or words of defense for this awful tragedy,” Boyle said in a statement.
“Mental illness does not excuse these acts and I can’t say it enough,” she continued, “but these acts could have been prevented with proper reporting and a healthcare system that gave a damn about its veterans and citizens.”