Helena, MT.- The Montana Highway Patrol joins the entire Montana law enforcement community in mourning the senseless death of Broadwater County Deputy Mason Moore. No matter what uniform an officer wears, we are all united by a common purpose- to serve and protect. Yesterday we lost not only a colleague but a member of the law enforcement family.
We’d like to extend our gratitude to all the officers who bravely took up the cause of their fallen comrade and headed towards danger to end th…e pursuit and take the suspects into custody. Many law enforcement agencies from across Western Montana worked cooperatively and tirelessly in the aftermath of this tragedy- from traffic control to processing and investigating multiple crime scenes spread out over a large area; we are grateful for their efforts. Finally, we’d like to thank the public for their patience despite the long and tedious road closures yesterday and your ongoing words of support and encouragement for the entire law enforcement profession during this difficult time. We are truly blessed to live and work in Montana.
Throughout the upcoming days and weeks, more information will likely surface about the ongoing investigation surrounding Deputy Moore’s death and the resulting pursuit. At this time, we can officially confirm the following information:
At approximately 0230 hours on May 16th MHP troopers responded to the Three Forks area on Highway 287 to assist Broadwater County Sheriff with a reported pursuit. The first trooper on scene located Broadwater County Deputy Mason Moore who had died as a result of gunshot injuries.
At approximately 4AM a Montana Highway Patrol trooper was called to assist Butte Silver Bow Police in pursuit of the suspect’s vehicle. The trooper successfully deployed stop sticks but the suspect vehicle continued. During the chase, the suspect vehicle opened fire at several pursuing police cars, disabling two of them. The vehicle was eventually disabled after a second successful stop stick deployment. A gun battle ensued between the suspects and law enforcement officers on scene. One of the suspects was struck by gunfire and transported to an area hospital; the second suspect was taken into custody. The suspects have been identified as father and son, 61-year-old Lloyd Montier Barrus and 38-year-old Marshall Barrus.
MHP is currently assisting Broadwater County Sheriff, Gallatin County Sheriff, and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation with the ongoing investigation. The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation is the lead investigator of this incident.
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