SEELEY LAKE — The death of a man is being investigated following a shooting and high-speed chase near Seeley Lake on Saturday on Saturday, October 5, 2024.
Missoula County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jeannette Smith says that just after 3:00 p.m., officers received a report of a man driving south on Highway 83 near Seeley Lake, who had passed another driver in an area with double yellow lines and then fired shots from the driver’s side window.
Smith says Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks officers located the dark blue Toyota pickup heading south on Highway 83.
The driver was stopped near mile marker 20 on Highway 200. For the safety of first responders and the public, traffic along Highway 200 was delayed.
Smith said law enforcement ordered the man to get out of the vehicle.
According to Smith, the suspect was not compliant with law enforcement commands.
Just after 3:30 p.m., the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team was mobilized.
Smith said a gunshot was heard from the suspect vehicle. Additional commands were given to the man to get out of the vehicle, but no response was provided by the suspect.
When law enforcement approached the suspect's vehicle, the man was unresponsive.
Despite life-saving measures by law enforcement, the man was deceased.
The man's name has not yet been released.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office will serve as coroner for the incident.
The Montana Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating the incident.
