army veteran suspected of shooting four dead at montana bar arrested

Michael Brown was taken into custody in connection with a mass shooting in Anaconda,Montana (Picture: AP)

A US Army veteran who is the suspect in a mass shooting that left four dead at a Montana bar has been arrested.

Michael Brown,45,was taken into custody alive on Friday afternoon,said Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton,a week after the massacre.

Brown is accused of opening fire at the Owl Bar in Anaconda on the morning of August 1 and killing a bartender and three patrons.

He then abandoned a stolen pickup near Garrity Mountain and fled into the Anaconda Range foothills. He was considered armed and dangerous.

Michael Brown,a suspect in a shooting which left four people dead in the Owl Bar,poses in an undated identity card photograph (Picture: Reuters)

Governor Greg Gianforte announced the on X that Brown had been apprehended.

‘Incredible response from law enforcement officers across Montana. Thank you to all partners for your commitment to the search,’ wrote Gianforte.

Brown was busted around 2pm in Anaconda,according to Attorney General Austin Knudsen.

‘I am proud of the unrelenting law enforcement effort this week to find and arrest Michael Paul Brown,’ he stated.

Police and other emergency personnel responded to a shooting in Anaconda,Montana,on August 1 (Picture: AP)

‘The support we’ve seen for the community of Anaconda from across the state and the nation has also been remarkable.

‘The families and friends of the victims remain in my prayers.’

Victims have been identified as Daniel Edwin Baillie,59; Nancy Lauretta Kelley,64; David Allen Leach,70; and Tony Wayne Palm,74.

The weeklong search included dozens of law enforcement agencies,an aerial effort and tracking dogs. Authorities focused on the mountains west of Anaconda.

Brown is believed to have lived next door to the bar and been a regular there. He seemed to know the victims,investigators said.

His motive has not yet been determined.

The US Marshals Service had offered $7,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of Brown.

Last week,Brown’s niece,Clare Boyle,said he has PTSD from serving in the Army and other mental illnesses.

‘My heart breaks for this town,’ she said.

‘There is no amount of apology or words that could ever describe how sorry I am and how I feel for these families,my own included.’