BILLINS, Mont. (AP) — A man drove his car into a family as they were hiking near Glacier National Park, then got out and began shooting at them with a shotgun, killing one man and fatally wounding a toddler before one of the victims was able to killed the gunman after he ran out of ammunition, authorities said Tuesday.
Killed in the attack on the Blackfeet Indian reservation in northwestern Montana were David Siau, 39, of Syracuse, New York, and Siau’s 18-month-old daughter, Mackenzie.
The gunman, 37-year-old Derrick Amos Madden, was in a previous relationship with the woman who killed him and had mental health issues, according to the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office.
Madden plowed his car into the Siau family shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday as they walked along a roadway in the small town of East Glacier Park, hitting several of them before crashing into a tree, the sheriff’s office said.
As the family members try to escape, Madden shoots and kills David Siau and fatally wounds McKenzie. The young girl was being held by her mother, Christy Siau, 40, who was shot and wounded.
After running out of ammunition, Madden used a knife to attack and critically wound Christina Siau, 30. But she fought back and fatally wounded Madden, who died at the scene, authorities said.
The two minor children present managed to escape and got away.
McKenzie Siau was later pronounced dead at the Indian Health Service Hospital in Browning. Christy and Christina Siau were taken to hospital with critical injuries.
Authorities were still trying to determine whether Madden, originally from Goldsby, Okla., legally owned the rifle.
The sheriff’s office described it as an “isolated … incident with a clear connection between the victims and Madden” and said the investigation is ongoing. It was unclear what prompted Sunday’s attack beyond the previous relationship between Madden and Christina Siau.
Local authorities are not aware of any previous interactions Madden has had with law enforcement. He worked most recently in East Glacier, a tourist town and gateway to the mountains in Glacier National Park, according to Jody Hickey, a spokeswoman for Glacier County Sheriff Vernon “Nappy” Bildo.
Christina Siau was a native of New York and lived in East Glacier, where her family was visiting, Hickey said.
Christy Siau was the former bookkeeper for American Baptist Churches in New York state, according to social media posts from the organization. She was described as a “long-standing and much-loved member” of the organisation’s staff in a statement from executive minister Rev James Kelsey.
Christy and David Siau were also active in the First Baptist Church of Hoosick Falls, N.Y., Kelsey said.
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