BOZEMAN — Bozeman Police shared new details from the investigation into a fatal officer-involved shooting that happened on Monday, the department told MTN News on Wednesday.
In a press release from the Park County Coroner’s office, officials identified 39-year-old Bozeman resident “Michael L. Rogel” as the deceased individual.
“A critical incident can refer to a wide variety of incidents that are typically high risk; high liability where their community can be in danger, the person involved can be in danger and often a danger to themselves, and the officers are in danger,” said Bozeman Police Chief Jim Veltkamp.
Veltkamp called Monday’s shooting “a critical incident.”
“The victims in this case are everyone. The entire community is a victim when something like this happens; certainly, the people involved in any critical incident; the officers because it takes a toll on them,” the Chief of Police explained.
The Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) told MTN News that it is overseeing the evidence-gathering portion of the investigation.
“We don't have the answers,” said Bryan Lockerby, DCI Administrator. “We haven't had a chance to look at everything yet. It's gonna take some time, but we want to certainly be thorough. We consider that our responsibility to the community, to the agency, and to everyone involved.”
While the DCI is gathering evidence like toxicology, body camera footage and interviews, the Bozeman Police Department conducts an investigation of its own, the chief explained.
“We have to take an internal look at the actions and make sure that they complied with everything that we require of our officers. Take a critical look at it for ourselves, see if there are any training changes we need to make,” said Bozeman Police.
After gathering the facts, which could take three to six months, Lockerby stated, “We put it all together in a report format with everything that we've gathered, and we present that to the county attorney who reviews it and then moves forward on the next decision.”
The five officers involved in the shooting are now on paid administrative leave, a standard procedure, DCI said.
