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Man faces attempted deliberate homicide charges after allegedly shooting two men in downtown Bozeman

Posted at 10:24 AM, Oct 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-18 16:14:20-04

A man is behind bars in Bozeman, accused of shooting two other men after a fight behind a downtown bar early Thursday morning .

Riley Alexander Woodhouse, 21, was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts of attempted deliberate homicide.

According to court documents:

Bozeman police responded to a 911 report of a parking lot shooting at the intersection of Rouse and Mendenhall around 2:15 a.m. Thursday. Officers arrived to find two men lying in the parking lot with gunshot wounds.

A witness told the responding officer he saw the two victims and a third man in a physical fight with Woodhouse and two other men. The witness said he broke up the fight, after which Woodhouse and the other two men ran from the scene.

The three men reportedly returned a short time later, two armed with a bat and machete, and Woodhouse wielding two pistols.

The witness said he had left the scene after the initial fight and was headed in the direction of Bar IX. He said he then heard a verbal argument and started heading back toward the parking lot. The witness reported hearing four shots and seeing Woodhouse and the two other members of his party running away northbound.

The witness was administering first aid to the victims when emergency responders arrived and transported the two victims to the hospital. One man had been shot in the leg; the other had been shot in the chest.

Officers interviewed the victims at the hospital. The man shot in the leg was able to identify Woodhouse, saying they had met previously.

The witness told officers the fight began when the man shot in the leg heard Woodhouse telling bar patrons he ran a downtown bar and was in charge of the bouncers and bartenders there.

The victim allegedly confronted Woodhouse, telling him he had nothing to do with the bar and was being disrespectful to the people who worked there. The fight began shortly after as the victims left the area and headed toward the parking lot.

Woodhouse was located and arrested at his girlfriend’s residence around 9:40 a.m. Thursday. Court documents say he left his pistol and a note explaining what had happened, along with the clothing he was wearing during the incident.

Woodhouse reportedly told officers after his arrest that he and the two men returned to their parked vehicle after the fight, where the others retrieved the bat and machete. Woodhouse said his roommate arrived and handed him his Springfield 9mm pistol.

Court documents did not specify any information about a second firearm.

Woodhouse allegedly admitted to shooting the two men. He said he then fled and was later picked up by his girlfriend.

Woodhouse faces 10 years to life in prison for each of two counts of attempted deliberate homicide. He appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court on Friday morning, where his bail at $500,000. His next court appearance is set for Nov. 1.