Authorities have confirmed that the brother of a Montana man, who is on the run after allegedly shooting and killing four people at a local bar, also has a troubling criminal past. William Brown was convicted in 2002 for stabbing a man in Anaconda, Montana, during a dispute linked to personal relationships. Initially sentenced to 100 years for murder, he received an additional 10 years for the use of a deadly weapon.
William is the brother of 45-year-old Michael Paul Brown, who became a fugitive following the incident that occurred early Friday morning. Michael is accused of killing four individuals—59-year-old Daniel Edwin Bailey, 64-year-old Nancy Lauretta Kelly, 70-year-old David Allen Leach, and 74-year-old Tony Wayne Palm—all residents of Anaconda.
Since the shooting, a major manhunt has ensued, with authorities searching the mountainous areas of central Montana in a desperate effort to locate Michael Brown. At this time, the circumstances leading up to the shooting remain unclear.
Authorities shared a photograph of Michael, describing him as a shirtless man in a black shirt, captured on camera near a concrete staircase. They also located a white Ford F-150 truck registered to him, but a search of his home by a SWAT team did not lead to his capture. Updates on the search revealed that both aerial and ground resources were being utilized to track him down.
Interestingly, Michael Brown is a former Army veteran, having served in the National Guard from January 2001 until May 2005 and again from April 2006 to March 2008. He was deployed to Iraq during a part of that time and left military service with the rank of Sergeant.
