Man dies after gunfight with Montana police during standoff

BILLINGS – A man who barricaded himself inside a Montana store that sells firearms and ammunition was found dead Saturday after he was shot in a gunfight with officers, police said.

The man died after a 10-hour standoff at Big Bear Sports Center in Billings, the Billings Gazette reported.

There were no immediate reports of injuries to police. The suspect’s name wasn’t immediately released.

The man drove an SUV with temporary plates to the front of the store and went inside about 3 a.m., police Chief Rich St. John said. The man apparently intended to steal firearms, the chief said.

Officers arrived and tried to persuade the man to surrender. But negotiations failed, St. John said.

The suspect and officers fired at each other several times throughout the morning, the chief said. He told KULR-TV the man was hit during one of those exchanges.

Police waited about 30 minutes after the last gunfire to see if the man was still active and then sent a camera-equipped robot into the store. The robot’s cameras showed the man was dead, St. John said.

Investigators did not know whether the man used any of the store’s weapons to fire on officers or if he took firearms into the store with him, St. John said.

Officers could tell by the sound of the gunshots that the man fired several types and sizes of weapons, the chief said.

Officers used an armored vehicle to clear a view to the inside of the store at one point during the standoff, he said.