THREE FORKS - At about 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 15, 2022, Gallatin County Sheriff's Office and other agencies received calls of a shooting in Three Forks near 6th Avenue and Ash Street. Officers responded to the scene approximately 20 minutes after the first call came in.
“They found two deceased males that were on scene there,” said Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer. “This was not a random act of violence. These individuals had a prior altercation in the early morning hours.”
Residents were notified around 6:45 a.m. via an alert to their phones.
A short time later, a person involved in the shooting was taken into custody; the person's name has not yet been released.
Rikayla Bjorndal, owner of The Shoppe Pastry and Coffeehouse, says seeing that notification gave her an unsettling feeling.
“You kind of get that sinking feeling in your stomach when you see something like that,” says Bjorndal.
“It just doesn't happen so it's nerve-wracking, it's unsettling,” says Bjorndal.
Neighbors who talked with MTN news say they thought it sounded like fireworks and didn't realize what was going on until they heard and saw police rushing toward the scene.
People around the neighborhood and at The Shoppe say they still have more questions than answers.
“Just a lot of ‘Have you heard?’ and ‘Do you know what's going on?’ and we have just been working so there is not a whole lot we know," says Bjorndal.
Sheriff Springer reiterates that there is no threat to the community at this time but acknowledges the severity of the situation in a tight-knit community.
“We are saddened by this event. It's tough on a community like this. We know that this is hard on everybody,” said Springer.
The names of the men who died have not yet been released.
We will update you when we get more information.
