The manhunt for a Montana man who is accused of killing four people inside the Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana, has now entered its fifth day.
As the WLT Report previously reported, authorities are searching for former U.S. Army soldier Michael Brown after he allegedly opened fire inside the Owl Bar, resulting in the deaths of a bartender and three patrons.
The shooting occurred on Friday, and as of Tuesday evening, Brown is still on the run.
The National Guard has been activated in the search for Brown, but there is no lead on where Brown is located.
A manhunt is intensifying for the former U.S. Army soldier who's been at large for days after allegedly gunning down four people at a Montana bar. https://t.co/k1DLTou3D4
— ABC News (@ABC) August 5, 2025
CBS provided the latest details on the search:
As the search for Michael Paul Brown stretched into its fifth day, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed an executive order freeing up more resources for local law enforcement to aid the manhunt for the former U.S. soldier suspected of killing four people at a bar.
More than three dozen law enforcement agencies are helping with the search effort in a mountainous area near Anaconda, where the deadly shooting occurred last week. Montana’s top officials described it during a news conference as the highest priority in the state.
A team with the Montana National Guard has flown nearly 20 hours since Friday, looking for any clues for Brown’s whereabouts as an undisclosed number of officers searched on foot.
“Rest assured, our brave men and women of law enforcement aren’t giving up, and I ask that you not give up on them either,” Gianforte said.
Authorities say Brown, 45, fatally shot four people at The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda with a rifle that police believe was his personal weapon. He fled in a white pickup that he later ditched and stole another white vehicle stocked with clothes, shoes and camping supplies.
A female bartender and three male patrons were killed. They have been identified as Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64; Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; David Allen Leach, 70, and Tony Wayne Palm, 74.
The shooting rattled the tight-knit town of about 9,000 people, and many residents remain on high alert with the suspect still at large.
Cassandra Dutra, a former bartender at The Owl Bar, told CBS News that she remembers Brown would say things she thought were strange, like he thought the CIA was coming for him. The 38-year-old likened the bar to the hit TV show “Cheers,” where everyone knows each other’s name and drink order.
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A manhunt continues Monday for Michael Brown, a former U.S. Army soldier and Montana National Guardsman accused of fatally shooting four people at a Montana bar on Friday. Brown escaped in a stolen car with clothes and camping gear, police said.
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— NewsNation (@NewsNation) August 4, 2025
ABC News reported that there are 38 agencies involved in the manhunt:
A manhunt is intensifying for the former U.S. Army soldier who’s been at large for days after allegedly gunning down four people at a Montana bar.
Michael Paul Brown, 45, is suspected of opening fire on Friday morning at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, a city of about 9,000 people in southwestern Montana, authorities said.
There has not been a confirmed sighting of Brown since Friday, authorities said.
Thirty-eight local, state and federal agencies are involved in the search, Anaconda Deer Lodge County Attorney Morgan Smith said.
Officers are “unrelenting in their pursuit, working around the clock” to find him, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte stressed at a news conference on Tuesday. “Rest assured, our brave men and women of law enforcement aren’t giving up.”
The governor said he signed an executive order to use financial resources from the state emergency respond fund to help support law enforcement, including overtime.
ADVERTISEMENT“This action today will ensure additional financial resources are available as we continue to track down this criminal,” Gianforte said.


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