BREAKING: Montana Police Officer Shot During Foot Chase

Great Falls, MT – A Great Falls police officer was shot while trying to apprehend a fleeing suspect late Tuesday afternoon.

The incident began at approximately 3:50 p.m. on March 7, when an officer with the Great Falls Police Department (GFPD) attempted to pull a driver over in the 1100-block of Fifth Avenue South near Longfellow Elementary School, KRTV reported.

The driver refused to stop and ultimately bailed out of the car and took off running along with a passenger from the vehicle, the GFPD said in a press release.

Officers chased after the two suspects and caught up to them within just a couple of blocks.

Gunfire erupted a moment later.

“After a short foot pursuit, shots were fired,” the GFPD confirmed. “One GFPD officer and a suspect [were] shot. Both were transported to the hospital with serious injuries.”

No additional updates regarding the unidentified wounded hero’s condition were immediately available.

The GFPD did not release the identities of the suspect who was shot or the second suspect who they apprehended.

Police said they are not looking for any other suspects.

Investigators locked down four separate crime scenes within a quarter-mile radius of the officer-involved shooting and said they would remain “heavily restricted for an undetermined amount of time.”

Those locations included the 1400-block of Sixth Alley South, the 1200-block of Sixth Avenue South, the 500-block of 12th Street South, and the 1100-block of Fifth Avenue South.

“Community members should expect the crime scenes to remain secure through the night,” the GFPD said.

The Montana Department of Criminal Justice is handling the ongoing investigation into the incident at the request of Great Falls Police Chief Jeff Newton.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and colleagues of the Great Falls Police Officer who was shot in the line of duty today. Thank you to all the brave men and women in Montana law enforcement who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.

— Montana Republican Party (@MTGOP) March 8, 2023

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