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Butte Police shoot man after he allegedly points rifle at officers

Posted at 8:37 AM, Oct 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-01 12:57:58-04

BUTTE, Mont. – Butte Police shot a man who pointed a rifle at them early Monday morning.

The man, who reportedly had taken prescription medication in an apparent suicide attempt, is being treated at a Butte hospital at this time.

According to a press release, at 3:24 a.m., police responded to a residence on Maryland Ave. for a report of an apparent suicide attempt. Officers attempted to speak to the man, while Butte Fire Rescue and A-1 Ambulance were staged nearby.

After several minutes of knocking on the door, the officers saw the man inside with a rifle.  The man then exited the door of the residence with the rifle.

Officers reportedly retreated from a porch area and began giving the man verbal commands to drop the weapon.

 

The man allegedly swung the rifle toward the officers and both officers fired multiple rounds from their handguns at the suspect.  The suspect was struck in the right forearm with one round.

The scene was secured and the suspect was treated and transported to St. James Healthcare.  The suspect, who is a 38-year-old male, is currently being treated at St. James and surgery may be needed.  The injury does not appear to be life-threatening.

No officers were injured.

According to Sheriff Ed Lester, the suspect’s weapon was a .22 caliber rifle.  The weapon has been recovered at the scene.

Agents from the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation are on scene and will conduct the investigation into the incident.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.