Gallatin County Sheriff/Coroner Dan Springer has identified the woman who died after being shot in Bozeman on Thursday, October 17, 2024, as 29-year old Rick Alastor Newman.
Newman died after being shot during an hours-long stand-off with law enforcement officers.
Police say Newman was brandishing a handgun and threatening to harm herself and others.
As is common practice when law enforcement is involved in a shooting, Sheriff Springer requested the assistance of a coroner outside of the Gallatin County jurisdiction. Park County Coroner Al Jenkins conducted the formal coroner investigation.
The incident began at around 8 p.m. on Wednesday when 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 - now identified as Newman - 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, Newman was still "visibly in possession" of the handgun.
Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation for nearly three hours.
Newman 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 a news release.
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.
We will update you if we get more information.
