Reporting by: Meagan Thompson, John Emeigh, Cassidy Powers, Esha Walia, Ken Spencer
ANACONDA — New court documents reveal disturbing details about a mass shooting at a Montana bar that left four people dead and triggered a weeklong manhunt across western Montana in August of 2025.
Officers responded to the Owl Bar in Anaconda on the morning of Aug. 1, 2025, and found four victims dead inside the business.
Investigators say surveillance video captured the attack. Court documents allege Michael Paul Brown entered the bar carrying a bucket, a pizza box, and a brown paper bag.
Four people were inside the bar at the time: bartender Nancy Kelley and three patrons — David Leach, Daniel Baillie, and Tony Palm.
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Investigators say Brown set the pizza box on fire, then left the building. Surveillance footage showed him returning moments later with a rifle. He then opened fire inside the bar. All four victims died at the scene.
Authorities say Brown fled the area in a stolen white Ford F-150, led law enforcement on a pursuit, then disappeared near a remote trailhead outside Anaconda. The disappearance launched a massive search, with more than 35 local, state, and federal agencies joining the manhunt. Police arrested Brown eight days later.
Investigators searched the Owl Bar and Brown's nearby home, recovering spent shell casings, ignitable materials, and multiple firearms, including an SKS-style rifle. Court records state a bullet recovered from one victim matched the rifle found in Brown's home.
According to investigators, Brown later admitted to the killings, confessing during a recorded interview after receiving his Miranda rights.
Court documents say Brown believed he was the rightful owner of the Owl Bar and claimed the bar's jukebox was digitally brainwashing him.
Brown now faces four counts of deliberate homicide, as well as charges for attempted arson, theft, and fleeing law enforcement.
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