KALISPELL — We are learning more about a Tuesday incident that left two people dead in Northwest Montana.
Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino says deputies responded to a home in the 100 block of Cobbler Village in Kalispell for reports of an assault at 11:39 a.m.
Deputies arrived and found the victim – who has been identified as 62-year-old Maxine L. Heil of Kalispell – had been shot and was deceased.
An investigation provided information about a male suspect and a vehicle that had left the scene.
Sheriff Heino says a deputy spotted the vehicle shortly before 2:15 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 82 and Hanging Rock Drive.
The suspect – later identified as 59-year-old Richard L. Mason of Kalispell – refused to pull over and a pursuit began.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies managed to stop the vehicle on Highway 35 in the Woods Bay area by deploying stop sticks.
Sheriff Heino says Mason then fired at a deputy and was killed when the deputy and a Montana Highway Patrol trooper returned fire.
Flathead County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Matthew Vander Ark has been placed on paid administrative leave as the investigation into the shooting continues.
Sheriff Heino said in a news release that the Montana Division of Criminal Investigations is in charge of investigating the officer involved shooting.
