BITS AND BITES

A cautious and laundered version of our street incident in Valier finally appeared late Monday.  When I was searching for it, I discovered there have been so many of these pursuit-and-shooting incidents over the years and across the country that someone started a website to gather them.

# # # # # # # 

A high-speed chase on Friday, Sept. 4, resulted in an officer involved shooting of the suspect who was driving a stolen vehicle. The incident is currently under investigation of the Montana Department of Criminal Investigation.

Glacier County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) Public Information Officer Judd Milender, was cleared to release the following information late Monday morning, Sept. 7.

On Sept. 4, 2020 Glacier County Sheriff’s Office deputies assisted Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services (BLES) with a pursuit of a stolen vehicle. The driver of the vehicle had also committed offenses in Browning. The pursuit was terminated in Valier, Mont., when the suspect drove into a dead end. The suspect exited the vehicle and was confronted by a GCSO deputy. The suspect brandished a knife and the deputy fired his service weapon hitting the suspect. 

The suspect was immediately rendered aid by GCSO deputies and BLES officers. The suspect was then transported to Benefis in Great Falls for treatment. As of Monday, Sept. 7, the suspect was hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Benefis.

Pondera County Sheriff’s Office secured the scene and requested agents from the Montana Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) respond to the scene. DCI took over the investigation and is currently actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the officer involved shooting. 

The deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave, as is protocol in officer involved shootings, pending the outcome of DCI’s investigation. 

____________________________________

When checking the internet over and over to see what I could find out about the hot pursuit and shooting in Valier on Friday, I ran across a LOT of such events across the country every few years.  In fact there were so many that one person started a website to gather up all of them.

One story was about an officer who had been involved in 4 or more of these incidents of pursuit and shooting.  Some of them started as nothing much more than traffic stops.  This officer is now the subject of an inquiry.

We still don't know much more about our Valier incident than what we saw.
____________________________________

The list of books by whites about Blackfeet now exists as a pdf posted on Researchgate.  If you can get to it and want a copy, send me an email so I can return send.