HELENA — Broadwater County Sheriff and Coroner Nick Rauser has identified Danielle Moore, 36, of Helena as the woman killed in an officer-involved shooting on March 14 in downtown Helena.
Since Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's deputies were involved in the incident, Broadwater County is filling in as coroner.
Rauser says the autopsy is being done at the State Crime Lab in Missoula and Rauser is awaiting results for an official cause of death and toxicology report.
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The officer involved in the fatal shooting on Friday has left the Helena community with questions about what exactly happened.
What we do know is the incident started at the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse on Friday around 1:30 p.m. when investigators say a woman threatened a judge and court staff with a pistol.
"This did not happen within the courthouse. It happened on the perimeter just outside. It was within the curtilage of the courthouse, but that person did not make it past our security," said Sheriff Leo Dutton of Lewis and Clark County.
In addition to the county's contracted security at the courthouse, which works similarly to TSA at the airport, Dutton says his office has one deputy there. Still, he hopes to speak with the Lewis and Clark County Commission about increasing security.
"It would enhance the safety of everyone if I was able to put more deputies in the courthouse. This happening exemplifies our concern. There are judges that are extremely concerned for their safety," Sheriff Dutton said.
The incident ended in the 500 block of Broadway Ave.
The woman was shot after failing to comply with orders from officers and deputies.
Dutton says four law enforcement officers from the sheriff's office and Helena Police Department were involved in the shooting.
The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident.
Cases like this can be complicated.
"The difficulty with this case is we have two crime scenes. One inside the courthouse [and the other] where the use of deadly force occurred. That takes time interviewing all the people and getting statements," said Dutton.
The Sheriff's Office and HPD are conducting their own administrative investigations, as is standard procedure.
This is an ongoing investigation, so there is information that cannot be released right now.
"People that don't know tend to speculate. They tend to make up their own thoughts. Please don't do that. There's a lot of people that are guessing wrong. Flat wrong," Dutton said.
This story is still developing, and MTN will keep you updated as more information comes in.
The last time an officer-involved shooting occurred in Helena was in November at The Jester's Bar.
