BILLINGS - Two Yellowstone County sheriff's deputies have been placed on administrative leave following a fatal shooting near Ballantine late Wednesday.
Sheriff Mike Linder said in a press release the deputies were dispatched at about 11:30 p.m. to an address on South 28th Road near Ballantine to arrest a man on a warrant issued from another Montana county. When they arrived at the residence they made contact with the man they were looking for and identified themselves as deputies, Linder said.
At one point a deputy noticed the man was armed with a handgun. The man exited the residence and fired the gun in the direction of the deputies.
One of the deputies returned fire and struck the man. The deputies gave the man emergency medical aid until medics arrived, but the man died at the scene, Linder said.
The shooting is under investigation by the sheriff's office detective division and the coroner's office and Linder said he expects to release more details later.
Both deputies were placed on administrative leave per standard protocol, Linder said. No names were released.
