Police: Standoff suspect intended to ambush Montana officers

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A coroner’s jury heard testimony Wednesday that a heavily armed Montana man tried to lure officers into a sporting goods store with the intention of ambushing them during a 10-hour standoff that culminated in a shootout and the man’s death.

The jury is considering whether police officers were justified in killing Frank “Joey” Half, Jr. during the Nov. 4, 2017, standoff in Billings.

Officers testified that Half had several weapons that he got from the store and fired at least 28 shots, including one that hit the bulletproof window of an armored police vehicle with an officer inside.

Family members of Half, a member of Montana’s Crow Indian Tribe, said authorities had a chance to stop the situation from escalating into a violent confrontation but missed that opportunity by failing to bring in relatives who might have been able to reason with him.

Jurors also visited Big Bear Sports Center, which has since closed in part because of heavy damage from police ramming the store’s entrance with an armored vehicle.

Officer Daren Haider said Half had a weapon that he kept picking up and putting down, leading police to believe he was “actively trying to take us out,” Haider said.

At one point, Half waved a white shirt, possibly indicating he wanted to surrender, but officers didn’t know enough about the setup of the store or where weapons might be located to send anyone in.

Officers said Half later fired a handgun at the officers in the armored vehicle, hitting the passenger side window. Officer Tanner Buechler said video surveillance from inside the store showed Half arming himself and putting on what appeared to be body armor prior to a final, violent confrontation near the store’s entrance.

“That’s somebody about to ambush you. That’s somebody about to go out with a fight,” Buechler said. “Our job was to stop him.”

Inquests are required under Montana law whenever law enforcement officers are involved in a fatal shooting or someone dies in law enforcement custody.

Half’s sister, Anita Little Head, said he might have given himself up peacefully if police had brought in a relative to reason with him in the Crow language.

“I begged and pleaded to give me an opportunity to speak with him on the phone,” Little Head said. “They said the best thing I could do was wait.”

Half’s uncle, Ben Cloud, said he was traveling to the scene of the standoff when Half was killed.

The family members were not among witnesses who testified before the jury. They spoke during breaks in the proceedings.

William Long, a retired FBI agent who testified at the request of county prosecutors, rejected the suggestion that family members should have been brought into the negotiations.

“You think they’re on your team and they may not be,” Long said. “They can say something that sets that person off.”

The inquest was expected to conclude Thursday.

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Information from: The Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com