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One person is dead and another injured after an hours long standoff in Trout Creek on Friday. According to a press release from the Sanders County Sheriff's Office SCSO), law enforcement received a call about 12:30 a.m. Friday of a 35-year-old man with a handgun and a semi-automatic rifle who had barricaded himself inside the Naughty Pine Saloon.

SCSO, with assistance from Flathead and Missoula County SWAT teams, attempted to negotiate with the suspect. "Although the majority of the patrons were safely removed, a family member to the subject refused to leave and remained behind. Following negotiations with law enforcement and subsequent tear gas deployment, the family member was safely removed and taken into custody," SCSO's press release stated.

Law enforcement set a base of operations at the Trout Creek Rural Fire Department, about a half mile from the Naughty Pine.

The suspect exited the Naughty Pine with a firearm and police officers used non-lethal ammunition in an effort to detain the suspect. The suspect fired at officers, wounding one, and was fatally wounded when law enforcement returned fire. The wounded officer was transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Along with local law enforcement, K9 units and several officers from other counties were in Trout Creek on Friday. Traffic was blocked on both ends of traffic and Highway 200 travel was rerouted through Trout Creek.

John Dowd

Law enforcement were present throughout Trout Creek during the incident on Friday in which one person died and one was injured.

The Montana Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation is conducting an independent investigation of the shooting. "These are always complex cases and will require thorough crime scene processing, extensive interviews, and a full assessment of the events leading up to the incident," said DCI Administrator Bryan Lockerby. "With multiple law enforcement agencies involved and dynamic events happening, it takes a considerable amount of resources for a thorough and thoughtful investigation." Once the investigation is complete, it will be reviewed by the Sanders County Attorney's office.

"The Sanders County Sheriff's Office would like to express how grateful they are for the assistance of all departments involved with this unfortunate situation," SCSO stated in its press release.

No further details were available.