Incident: Friday, October 30, 2026, Eureka, Lincoln County, Montana. Confirmed by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Terpsma, 28, was shot and killed Friday night while responding to a disturbance call at a home on Lone Pine Trail in Eureka.
Deputy Terpsma and a Eureka police officer arrived at about 8:20 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. Deputy Terpsma died at the scene. The Eureka officer was shot and suffered injuries that are not life-threatening.
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A 46-year-old woman was found shot and killed at the home. A juvenile girl was hurt and was treated and released at the scene, the sheriff said.
The suspect, a 50-year-old Kalispell man, left in a vehicle with a 7-year-old girl. Flathead County sheriff’s deputies found the vehicle and pursued it. The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office said he fired at deputies during the pursuit, disabling two patrol vehicles, and deputies returned fire. He stopped and surrendered at a roadblock at Bill Creek Road and Mountain Meadow Road. The girl was unharmed.
Deputy Terpsma joined the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy in May 2026. Before that, he worked as a detention officer with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office starting in December 2024.
The Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation. The sheriff’s office said the suspect will be charged and is expected to have an initial hearing in Lincoln County Justice Court; specific charges have not been released. The Flathead County deputies who returned fire were placed on administrative leave under department policy.
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