ANACONDA — After a man shot and killed four people in the Owl Bar, this Anaconda watering hole was back open for business. They received great support from the community and other bars in the state, but the owner said personally, he has good and bad days.
The Owl Bar was open for business on Tuesday, the day before Michael Brown is expected to be formally charged in connection with the mass shooting at the bar on August 1, 2025. Brown faces four counts of deliberate homicide, one count of attempted arson, one count of theft, and a charge of fleeing from police.
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The owner of the bar, David Gwerder, didn’t want to speak on camera, but told MTN News that he re-opened his bar on August 23. He thanked those in the community and around the state who showed support during this difficult time.
He added he will be at Brown’s arraignment hearing to see justice is served.
Brown is accused of entering the bar the morning of August 1 and and shooting customers David Leach, Daniel Baillie, and Tony Palm, and bartender Nancy Kelley. A week-long manhunt followed, and Brown was arrested by authorities in a trailer just west of Anaconda on August 8. Brown remains jailed in Butte.
Anaconda resident Allen Rangitsch lives near the Owl Bar and said, “I’m glad to see them open, because I’m not a beer drinker, I don’t drink, but at the same time, I want to see them do good."
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Like many residents in this small town, Rangitsch said the mass shooting was a shock.
“I was kind of scared, you know, for my family, because we had no idea where he went. Not only that … what do you do? You keep your doors locked, you can watch at the window for days and days and days. This is a peaceful town. The last time I heard a gunshot was probably hunting season last year, you know,” said Rangitsch.
A memorial benefit for the bar and family members of the victims will be held at the Owl Bar on September 27. The event will raise money for a plaque in honor of the four shooting victims.
