Bad Weekend for Glasgow, MT

[Nemont]

In little old Glasgow Montana we had a sniper shooting on Saturday Night here. One woman was killed and two other were wounded. The gunman ended up dead as well.

The woman killed was the mother of 4 children, all of them went to school with my kids. It is just a shock for those of us who think those things only happen in the big city.

Nemont

 

[Bambistew]

That's terrible. My prayers to the family.

 

[MarvB]

Sorry to hear about that Jeff...any idea of the why or just a random SOB?

 

[Oak]

That's crazy. I remember the sniper shooting the woman in Cheyenne a couple of years ago. Turned out to be her ex.

 

[JoseCuervo]

That is unbelievable.

I can't imagine how that is affecting a small town.

 

[Nemont]

It appears to be random. The shooter is still unidentified as of right now. Nobody seems to know who this guy is but he planned this carnage for awhile it appears. The authorities locked down the entire town. Nobody was allowed in or out on the highway, no trains were running, my daughter was up at the high school watching a basketball game and they locked the gym down. Kind of nerve racking to be home and have her up there. Then everyone immediately got on their cell phones and the system was overwhelmed and shut down. The radio announcers were still broadcasting the game and breaking in with pleas to the public not to use their phones.

Identity of Glasgow shooter still unknown
By MARC STERGIONIS • Tribune Staff Writer • January 20, 2009

GLASGOW — Authorities were still struggling Monday night to identify the gunman who killed a medic and held off police in two different shootouts before being killed last weekend.


Melissa Greenhagen had just completed her training as an emergency medical technician and returned from a call Saturday afternoon.

"She was the last to leave the ambulance and the barn," said Clay Berger, director of Emergency Medical Services at Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow.

Taken by surprise, she was struck from behind by gunfire, he said. A man, still unidentified, was perched on top of a gravel mound just to the north of the hospital.

Scott Billingsley and his wife Susan, a nurse, rushed to help Greenhagen but also were hit by gunfire by the shooter, who had the advantage of an elevated position. A hospital spokesman refused to release a condition report on them Monday.

Two young city police officers responded right away.

"They drove right into here and protected" the shooting victims, Berger said.

"I don't know if seasoned officers would have rushed right in" to the middle of such a firefight, "but I know they prevented more shooting" injuries, he said.

Alarms continued rolling out of Glasgow as arriving law enforcement requested more and more resources.

Eventually 35-40 officers from a wide range of local, state and federal agencies were on the scene, about 50 yards from the hospital's emergency room exit.

But the gunman was "behind the gravel, popping up here, then popping up there. ... Officers were pinned down for 35 minutes," Berger said. "It was just surreal that someone would do this to volunteers."

Officers set up a good perimeter and were able to keep the shooter from getting into the main part of town, he said.

Apparently wounded, the suspect fled but dogs from K-9 units picked up his tracks and kept going after him.

While it was daylight Saturday when events first began unfolding, it wasn't until midnight that trackers from the Border Patrol and Bureau of Land Management found the suspect at a house — within view of the hospital.

Another firefight ensued, and the suspect was shot. Authorities refused to say whether he was shot by officers or committed suicide.

Kelly Dowell, a local waitress at Prairie Rose, was home alone during the shooting incident. Her husband and their kids were at the local basketball game, which got locked down, and she knew nothing about the shootouts until her mother called in alarm.

"It was a shock to lose a person like that," said Dowell. "You kind of think twice about locking your doors and knowing where your kids are. People (here) are sad."

Nick Dirkes, marketing director at the hospital, said law enforcement was contacted right away when shots were fired. Hospitals routinely have in place disaster plans outlining procedures for responding to a variety of medical and community incidents.

While Saturday's shootings became the first homicide in some 15 years in Glasgow, the "process went according to plan," he said. "I'm very pleased with the response."

Dirkes happened to be attending a hospital party when the incident began and Randy Holom, hospital CEO, informed him of the shooting events.

"It's all been very overwhelming," he said. "I would never have believed something like this could happen in Glasgow."

 

[schmalts]

crazy stuff. The brain is a weird thing, and go haywire anytime

 

[noharleyyet]

It appears to be random. The shooter is still unidentified as of right now. Nobody seems to know who this guy is but he planned this carnage for awhile it appears. The authorities locked down the entire town. Nobody was allowed in or out on the highway, no trains were running, my daughter was up at the high school watching a basketball game and they locked the gym down. Kind of nerve racking to be home and have her up there. Then everyone immediately got on their cell phones and the system was overwhelmed and shut down. The radio announcers were still broadcasting the game and breaking with pleas to the public not to use their phones.

Having my kids out of pocket during something like that would be terrifying.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

That is insane. John

 

[cornfed]

Sad,truely sad.Prayers for all involved and especially for the children of the victim.

 

[Big Fin]

Truly a tragedy. Will be sending prayers for those in your part of the state affected by this, either directly or indirectly affected.

Hard to imagine the panic of not having your kids at home during that.

Very sorry to hear about this.

 

[1_pointer]

Sorry to hear that! I can't imagine not being with my son with something like that going on...

 

[mtmuley]

NeMont, Is that true it was random? News gets over here late. Hell is to comfortable for a dirtbag that could do something like that. Prayers to the family. mtmuley

 

[Nemont]

mtmuley,

I don't know if the authorities even know for certain but at this point it appears that the shooter prepared for this for at least a couple of weeks. The woman killed appears to have been at the wrong place at the wrong time. There is not currently any evidence of the shooter targeting her. The shooter was intent on killing people. I don't know if he had a grudge against the hospital or what.

Nemont

 

[cjcj]

Thats sick... Just how small is Glasgow?

 

[MTwapiti]

cj,

I look it up, it's been a long time since I've been in that part of the state. Glasgow has around 3,300 people, Valley County is around 7,300.

 

[Nemont]

cj,

MTwapiti is right on the numbers. We are very small and very rural. It is a place where everyone kind of know everyone else. We live in Mayberry so to speak, at least we thought we did. It was a shocking development and further shocking to lose a person who really was involved in nearly everything and universally well liked.

Nemont

 

[cjcj]

Nemont I can see how that would bew shocking...small town .. probably hardley any crime.....I love places like that... I am going to Re- Retire to a small town in the next 5 yrs... down here in Phx. metro... that kinda sick crap happens almost every day.... shooting stabbings etc... I think people get used to it in large cities... thats sad.

 

[twodot]

That is one sad mess. I am leaving for the Winnet area tomorrow and figuring on spending the weekend there. Kinda takes the edge off of my excitement for sure. Been thru Glascow a couple of times, and would never think of that sort of thing being possible there. Just too sad. twodot