BILLINGS — After an 18-year-old was shot in the 900 block of Poly Drive early Saturday morning, Billings Police deployed its Crime Scene Investigation unit and worked for hours to try and figure out what exactly happened.
It was a chilly October morning, something Poly Drive residents weren’t exactly thrilled about.
"It’s always nice waking up to snow," said Jens Zimmerman, a Poly Drive resident, on Saturday. "I’m being sarcastic."
Residents awoke in the morning to find snow and ice—and caution tape blocking off their street, which they said is usually quiet.
"It’s quiet," said Zimmerman. "It’s a good part of town."
According to the Billings Police Department (BPD), an 18-year-old male was shot around 3 a.m. near Great Harvest Bread Co., located at 907 Poly Drive.
“I was going to get a sandwich at Great Harvest Bread,” said Jim Scott, a Billings resident, on Saturday. “We can’t get there from here. There’s yellow tape. It’s a police crime scene, I guess."
Scott and his dog, Whinnie, were on their way to grab a bite to eat when they were turned around by a BPD patrol car. He said he lived on Poly for nearly 20 years—and that while he lived there, things were a bit different.
“You know I can’t remember anything like this ever happening in this neighborhood," Scott said.
BPD said the victim was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. At the time of this publication, his condition remained unknown.
“You know it just makes me sad that that’s part of our reality these days," said Scott. "I’m just sorry that it happened."
MTN News was on-scene all morning trying to gather more information. We were told all available detectives were hard at work interviewing witnesses and that officers were working diligently on the investigation.
Neighbors were left feeling uneasy about what the future of Billings might look like.
"It’s always sad to see when kids get injured or kids get involved with things like this,” Zimmerman said. “I hope the kid ends up okay."
