The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation said it is investigating a shooting in Cut Bank that occurred early Saturday in a bar parking lot that left a person in critical condition and a police officer injured.
A Cut Bank police officer saw a disorderly person in the street outside another bar about 1:20 a.m., but when approached, the man fled to a parked vehicle in the parking lot of the the Pioneer Bar at 13 N. Central Ave., state officials said in a news release.
When he was ordered out of the car, the 42-year-old suspect drove over the officer, who fired his duty weapon at the man, authorities said.
The suspect was struck by the gunfire and is in critical condition, authorities said. The officer was injured and received medical treatment. He is expected to make a full recovery.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave as the investigation proceeds. Officials said the identity of the officer and the suspect will not be released at this time.
Cut Bank Police Department officials said they requested that DCI investigate the incident in the interest of transparency.
Once the investigation is complete, the results will be submitted to the Glacier County Attorney for consideration of appropriate charges, they said.
Cut Bank Police Chief Mike Schultz said in a news release he was "extremely thankful" the officer survived this incident.
"This event unfolded rapidly and could have had fatal consequences for a valued public servant and his family," he said.
DCI administrator Bryan Lockerby said he was glad to hear the officer survived the incident, noting the outcome could have been worse.
"Every investigation into officer-involved critical incidents takes considerable time as our agents are always responsive, intentional, and thorough when processing the scene and following up with interviews, ballistics, and toxicology," he said in the news release.
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