BOZEMAN — A woman in Bozeman who police say was brandishing a handgun and threatening to harm herself and others was shot by an officer on Thursday, October 17, 2024.
A news release from the City of Bozeman says the incident began at around 8 p.m. on Wednesday when police officers responded to a call of a woman with a handgun threatening a family member at a residence in Bozeman.
When officers arrived, they learned the woman had left the residence with the handgun and had made further threats to herself and others.
She was found by police two hours later in the parking lot of the shopping complex located on the northeast corner of West Oak Street and North 19th Avenue.
According to the release, the woman was still "visibly in possession" of the handgun.
Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation for nearly three hours.
The woman reportedly put the gun down around 1:45 a.m. and appeared to be giving up, but then grabbed the handgun again.
"Officers responded to the threat and fired several rounds, with the female succumbing to her injuries," according to the news release.
The name of the woman has not yet been released.
No officers were injured in the incident, and the involved officers have been placed on administrative leave per department policy; their names have not yet been released.
“First, our most heartfelt condolences go out to the family members and all who are impacted by this loss,” Chief Jim Veltkamp stated in the release. “Events like these affect our entire community. We are committed to a thorough investigation of this incident and appreciate everyone’s patience as we learn more.”
The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation has been requested per department protocol and will conduct an independent investigation.
The Bozeman Police Department has scheduled a news conference for Friday at 10 a.m. to provide more information.
No other details have been released at this point. We will update you when we get more information.
