Holly MatkinWhitefish, MT – A man accused of opening fire on a group of people outside a bar and nearly shooting a woman in the head was released from jail on his own recognizance last week.
The female victim was wounded by a ricochet, according to police.
The attack occurred in an alley outside of the Remington Bar and Casino located in the 200-block of Flathead Avenue shortly after 11 p.m. on May 14, according to the Flathead Beacon.
Witnesses told police they heard multiple gunshots as a white truck was leaving a nearby parking garage that is attached to City Hall, the Daily Inter Lake reported.
They said the passenger-side window of the truck was rolled down.
Investigators said security footage showed a “puff of dust” coming from a brick wall just above a woman’s head at the time of the gunfire, the Flathead Beacon reported.
The woman, who was standing with a group of people, was wounded by a ricochet, according to police.
She was rushed to Logan Health North in unknown condition, KTVM reported.
According to court records, police examined the brick wall and found a spot where it had been penetrated by a bullet, the Flathead Beacon reported.
They were able to recover the round from the mortar.
Investigators connected the alleged suspect to the incident using images of the gunman seen in the security footage with the driver’s license photo of a driver involved in an unrelated traffic stop in Lake County later that night, the Flathead Beacon reported.
He was identified as 33-year-old Wilson Dane Huyser.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) deputies subsequently responded to Huyser’s Rollins home and allegedly discovered he had traveled to Whitefish earlier in the night, the Flathead Beacon reported.
Deputies said they located a spent shell casing and two handguns during a search of the suspect’s truck, according to the Daily Inter Lake.
A possible motive for the shooting was not released.
Huyser was booked into the Flathead County Detention Center on a felony count of criminal endangerment.
He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine if he is convicted.
On May 24, Flathead County District Court Judge Heidi Ulbricht released the alleged gunman on his own recognizance, the Daily Inter Lake reported.
Ulbricht ordered Huyser to obey the law, to stay away from witnesses or victims tied to the case, and banned him from possessing firearms while the case is pending.
His arraignment has been set for June 30.
