Authorities have released the name of the robbery suspect who was fatally shot by a Hamilton police officer on April 1, 2024.
On Tuesday, April 9, Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton identified the man who was shot as 30-year-old Zachary Andrew Athearn of Hamilton.
Police were called to the Riverside Conoco in Hamilton for a report of an armed robbery.
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Initial reports indicated that Athearn threatened a responding officer with a weapon; he was then shot by a police officer and later died.
Sheriff Holton stated that the Hamilton Police Department and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating the robbery as well as the shooting.
The name of the officer(s) involved in the incident have not yet been released.
A Coroner's Inquest into the shooting will be held at a later date by a coroner from another county, with assistance from the Ravalli County Attorney's Office as required by Montana law, according to a news release.
(APRIL 1, 2024) Hamilton Police Chief Steve Snavely and Ravalli County Sheriff/Coroner Steve Holton have confirmed that the suspect in a robbery at the Riverside Conoco Convenience Store has died after being shot by a police officer.
The initial investigation indicates that the male suspect committed a robbery at the convenience store and left the building.
Store employees called 911 and the Hamilton Police Department responded.
The suspect reportedly threatened the responding officer with a weapon, and the officer shot the suspect.
No officers or citizens were injured during the incident, and responding officers started life-saving procedures on the suspect.
The suspect was taken by ambulance to a hospital where he later died. The name of the suspect has not yet been released.
