Armed Standoff Ends After Suspect Dies by Suicide

BOZEMAN – A more than 24-hour standoff at a residence in the 400 block of S 20th Ave. has come to an end with Bozeman Police officers locating a man deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Numerous teams from Bozeman, Billings, and Lewis & Clark County were involved in the incident and utilized a variety of tools and techniques to try to safely take a male into custody. No shots were fired by officers during the standoff.

The incident began on Dec. 3 at around 6:45 p.m. when Bozeman Police were called to a trespassing complaint at a local business. 911 dispatchers quickly upgraded the call to a disturbance after receiving information that the male suspect was attempting to start a fight and that he previously assaulted an employee at the business. Bozeman officers arrived on the scene and were unable to find him, but employees shared what happened, including footage that confirmed his identity.

Officers recognized the man from prior interactions and found his home address. Shortly after 7 p.m., they arrived at his home. The man would not answer the door, despite attempts from an officer trained in crisis negotiations to talk to him through an upstairs window.

Officers then breached the door and saw a firearm in his hand. They quickly retreated outside and at around 7:30 p.m. requested help from local agencies and the joint Bozeman Police and Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team. Bozeman Police then worked to close streets and evacuate the suspect’s roommate and neighboring homes to ensure the safety of those nearby.

During the long standoff, trained crisis negotiators from Bozeman, Billings, Lewis & Clark County, and Gallatin Mobile Crisis continued to try to communicate with the man. On the evening of Dec. 4, the man stopped communicating with negotiators. Law enforcement officers entered the residence and ultimately located the deceased male.

The Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) has been asked to conduct an independent investigation, a common practice when a death occurs in a situation like this. In line with standard operating procedures, the Park County Coroner’s Office will release information on the name of the deceased man.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased man and thank the community for their understanding during this long standoff,” Chief Jim Veltkamp stated. “These kinds of incidents routinely require long hours from officers, detectives, and staff to try to achieve the safest possible outcome, and we are grateful for the time that everyone involved took to try to resolve this incident without harm.”

Bozeman Police thanks the many agencies that provided mutual aid, including Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, Gallatin County Emergency Management, Gallatin County 911, Gallatin Mobile Crisis Unit, Belgrade Police Department, Montana Highway Patrol, Montana State University Police Department, Bozeman Fire, Bozeman Streets, American Medical Response, Billings Police Department SWAT team, the SWAT team from Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, and Helena Police.