Fatal Incident – Highway 2 West of Shelby

According to a statement provided by the Toole County Sheriff's Department:

On 12/28/2016 the Toole County Sheriff's Office was contacted by the Ashland County (Ohio) Sheriff's office. Ashland County advised Toole County that a male with a warrant out of their jurisdiction was possibly staying at a motel in Shelby.

Toole County Sheriff's deputies located the male's vehicle at a Shelby Motel and contacted Ashland County, Ohio to verify the warrant. Ashland County was able to verify the warrant early in the morning 12/29/2016. Ashland County detectives advised Toole County Sergeant Jeff Jergens that the male owned three firearms and had made statements that if it looked like he was going to prison, he would take care of things by either shooting it out with law enforcement or taking his own life.

On 12/29, Toole County Sheriff's deputies observed the male get into his vehicle at the local motel, he then drove to a local gas station and purchased fuel for his vehicle and left the gas station traveling west on US Highway 2.

Toole County deputies attempted a high-risk traffic stop on the vehicle with the assistance of the US border patrol. The vehicle gradually slowed and stopped around mile marker 271 on US Highway 2. The male in the vehicle produced a handgun and pointed it in the direction of law enforcement officers. Officers commanded the male to drop the firearm. The male then turned the gun on himself.

The incident has been turned over to the Choteau County Sheriff's Department for further investigation.