Suspect in Montana bar shooting lived next door, officials say

The man accused of killed four people at a Montana bar on Friday morning lived next door to it, according to the Montana Department of Justice.

Authorities identified the suspect, who they say walked into the Owl Bar in Anaconda and opened fire, as 45-year-old Michael Paul Brown. He remains at large, and the search for him has continued into the weekend.

“The search is still focused on the area off of Stumptown Road both on the ground and in the air and includes multiple local, state, and federal agencies,” the Montana Department of Justice said Saturday morning.

The department also confirmed that the victims killed in the shooting were a bartender and three patrons. Officials have not publicly released their names.

Brown allegedly entered the bar at 10:30 a.m. and opened fire, killing four people, according to investigations administrator Lee Johnson with the Montana Department of Justice.

A motive for the shooting is still unknown at this time.

The bar’s owner, David Gwerder, told The Associated Press that Brown knew everyone in the bar at the time of the shooting.

“He didn’t have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped,” Gwerder told the outlet.

Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, said her uncle suffers with mental health issues, the Associated Press reported, citing a Facebook post she posted.

“This isn’t just a drunk/high man going wild,” she said. “It’s a sick man who doesn’t know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn’t know where or when he is either.”

Authorities said Brown was wearing a tie-dyed shirt, blue jeans and an orange bandana on Friday. However, a picture released Saturday by the Montana DOJ showed him fleeing the scene, apparently stripped down to just his boxers.

Authorities have urged anyone who sees Brown to call 911. He is believed to be armed and dangerous, according to the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com