LIBBY — The man accused of shooting and killing Lincoln County Deputy Ryan Terpsma and another woman, Merissa Walker, made his initial appearance in Lincoln County District Court Monday afternoon.
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Fifty-year-old Kalispell resident Matthew Dye was charged with two counts of deliberate homicide and one count of attempted deliberate homicide.
The courtroom was packed with law enforcement officials across different agencies as Dye made his initial appearance in court. He did not enter a plea.
Dye is accused in court documents of shooting and killing Terpsma with a semi-automatic weapon as he was responding to a disturbance call Friday night in Eureka.
A Eureka police officer was also struck twice by gunfire in the back, but his body armor stopped the bullets, according to charging documents.
Authorities said Walker was later found dead at the scene with fatal gunshot wounds, and a girl was found injured after hiding in the woods from Dye.
Dye fled the area and was later stopped at a roadblock near Whitefish after shooting at officers during the pursuit.
A 7-year-old girl in Dye’s vehicle was uninjured.
Dye is next scheduled back in court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 18.
Judge Jay Sheffield ordered Dye to be held in the custody of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.
The judge did not set bail.
