BILLINGS — An autopsy has determined that Michael Lee McClure, the murder suspect involved in a standoff with police last week, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Billings police said Tuesday.
The fatal injury occured after McClure had pointed a gun at officers and had been hit with multiple rounds from the SWAT team, according to Billings police.
The rounds from law enforcement were not fatal, according to Billings Police Captain Neil Lawrence.
Lawrence said in a news release that McClure has a "significant criminal record" including numerous chases in Yellowstone and Gallatin counties, drug possession, robbery, assault, and outstanding warrants. He was also a suspect in a shooting on the 4100 block of King Avenue East.
McClure has been in the Billings area since 2018. He is either 24 or 26 years old, depending on varying reports from law enforcement.
Five law enforcement officers- three from the Billings Police Department and two from the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office- will remain on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues, Billings Police Chief Rich St. John said.
Kristy Lynn Chavez, 31 years old, the woman allegedly involved in the carjacking and killing of a Wyoming man last week, has been charged with felony deliberate homicide by accountability. According to court documents, Chavez and Michael McClure abducted and assaulted the victim - 33-year-old Dennis Gresham - at the Yellowstone River Campground in Billings. Click here for more information.
