GREAT FALLS — The Great Falls Police Department said on Saturday that Jacob Sims has been arrested after reportedly shooting a person in Great Falls on Friday evening.
At about 7:40 p.m., dispatchers received a report of shots fired outside a business in the 600 block of 3rd Avenue Northwest. Officers responded and found a man who had been shot, with a shotgun, by an unknown assailant.
The victim was taken to Benefis Health System; the GFPD says the man's injuries are not life-threatening.
The GFPD says as officers were searching for the suspect, dispatchers received report of shots fired near 10th Avenue South and 11th Street.
As officers responded to that location, a third report to 911 indicated a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle was at a car wash on 10th Avenue South at 38th Street.
It was reported the suspect had shot at and hit a vehicle occupied by a family of four, including two young children. Fortunately, no one in the vehicle was injured.
The suspect left the car wash and continued east on 10th Avenue South.
Cascade County Sheriff’s deputies found the suspect vehicle right away, near mile marker 82 on Highway 87/89, and took the suspect - identified as Sims - into custody.
There is no word at this point on a possible motive, and no other details have been released.
Sims is facing five counts of attempted deliberate homicide and one count of assault with a weapon.
Sims is being held at the Cascade County Detention Center.
(FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 8:54 p.m.) There is a large police presence near the Alumni Club in Great Falls. We were alerted about it at about 7:55 p.m. on Friday. The Alumni Club is at 601 3rd Avenue NW.
There are at least seven GFPD patrol vehicles in the area.
Several people have said that they heard gunshots, but we have not been able to confirm if anyone has been shot, nor whether anyone has been injured.
A police officer at the scene was not able to release any information, but did not indicate that there is any danger to the community.
We will post an update if we get details about what happened.
