GREAT FALLS — Cut Bank Police Chief Michael Schultz has released the name of the officer and the suspect involved in a shooting on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, in Cut Bank.
The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) stated in a news release on Tuesday that officers were called to the 200 block of Fifth Avenue SW for a report of a violation of an order of protection.
Police were dispatched to the home and found Jeffrey Severn, age 54, who was reported by witnesses to be “violently entering” the home which the order prohibited him from entering.
When officers arrived, they encountered him starting to drive away and initiated a traffic stop.
Chief Schultz said in a news release that Severn got out of his vehicle and confronted the officers with a rifle.
He was subsequently shot and killed by Senior Patrolman Judd Milender, a 16-year veteran.
A neighbor had called the police when she saw a man trying to break into a house.
The neighbor — who did want to be identified for this article — said this is not the first dispute she has seen at the residence.
“Yeah, it seems like they've been having a lot of issues. I've been hearing about domestic violence issues. I don't know anything firsthand with that. But there's always cops around here.”
The neighbor said the police arrived in the back alley, where she heard the officers ask the man to drop a rifle, and then heard gunshots.
“All of a sudden there was gunshots. There was three of them right in a row. And then a pause and then a fourth one.”
Milender remains on administrative leave per policy until the Cut Bank Police Department concludes its internal investigation.
The Glacier County Attorney’s Office will schedule a coroner’s inquest once the DCI report is complete.
The coroner’s inquest is a public hearing where all facts of the case will be presented to a coroner’s jury for final determination.
