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Death of western Montana man under investigation

Posted at 8:20 PM, Mar 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-25 22:20:23-04

POLSON – Lake County authorities are investigating the death of a Ronan man.

Lake County Sheriff Don Bell says that shortly after 9:30 a.m. on Friday deputies responded to Timberlane Road in Ronan after receiving reports of a shirtless man acting erratically and waving around a rifle on the roadway in traffic.

Before law enforcement arrived on the scene, another caller reported they had struck the man with their vehicle he pointed his rifle at them, according to Bell.

Aaron Thiel, 35, of Ronan — who was found unresponsive but alive at the scene — was taken to an area hospital before being flown to a Missoula hospital where he died on Saturday.

Bell says that it was discovered that the rifle the male had was not a real firearm, but was a very realistic looking airsoft gun.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Highway Patrol are continuing to investigate the death. Thiel’s body has been taken to the Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula for an autopsy.

Story by Mark Thorsell, MTN News