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Manhunt continues for Montana mass shooting suspect in wilderness area

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ANACONDA — Authorities have established an incident command post along Stumptown Road as the search for the suspect in the August 1 mass shooting continues.

It's been a tense couple of days for residents in the quiet neighborhood along Evergreen Street that leads up to Stumptown Road, where authorities have set up an incident command in the ongoing manhunt.

Law enforcement agencies are searching for 45-year-old Michael Brown, who is believed to be responsible for murdering three patrons and a bartender at The Owl Bar.

"We've been keeping our doors locked and our outside lights on just as a precaution even during the daytime," John Sestrich said.

WATCH: Witness details chaos of Anaconda shooting and police pursuit

Witness Details Chaos of Anaconda Shooting and Police Pursuit

The 79-year-old resident says he had just finished painting the siding on his garage around 10:30 in the morning when he heard an engine revving outside his home.

"I was cleaning up my brush and then I heard this vehicle race up the street," Sestrich said.

The truck was heading south on Evergreen Street, which leads to a dead end where motorists have to either head back into town or head west along Stumptown Road.

"When they turned up our street on Evergreen, then I heard him really take off and roar, and then pretty soon I heard sirens. A person loses track of time, but it seemed like somewhere between 10 and 15 seconds, and then three police raced up the street," Sestrich said.

There are several miles of residential neighborhood along the northside of Stumptown Road. To the south lies a vast expanse of public land called the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness, where authorities are searching for Brown.

"When I found out what was going on that it's really odd that the police didn't catch him in that short of span. Stumptown Road is all dirt, and you'd see the dirt from Mr. Brown racing up the road where he turned off or something, and so it was really odd that they didn't catch him right away," Sestrich said.

On Sunday morning, authorities with local, state and federal agencies utilized ground and air teams to search the area.

"We've got tremendous cooperation from Homeland Security, from our federal partners: the FBI, the U.S. Marshall Service. We want to find this guy. This is a dangerous individual who has committed an absolutely heinous crime against this community and these victims," Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said.

Knudsen says a reward of $7,500 is offered for information leading to the suspect, who is considered to be armed and dangerous. The public is asked to call 911 immediately if they encounter Michael Brown.

A hotline has been set up for tips at 1-877-WANTED2.

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