BILLINGS - A jury impaneled to hear evidence at a Coroner's Inquest into whether a Yellowstone County sheriff's deputy was justified in a fatal shooting returned a verdict Friday morning.
After deliberating for less than an hour, the jury ruled Deputy Christopher Etter was justified when he shot and killed Vilene Not Afraid on March 25, 2023 during a two-hour standoff on a busy Billings roadway. The jury also ruled the shooting was suicide by law enforcement.
During his final statements on Friday, Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito thanked everyone involved in the inquest, including Etter.
"I wanna thank Deputy Etter who's in the courtroom today who, believe it or not, voluntarily appeared to testify in front of you (the jury). I can't imagine how difficult that must be, but he voluntarily did that. He's not obligated under Montana law. He doesn't have to do that, but he did that in this process today," Twito said.
The suicide by law enforcement option for the jury to deliberate is a new addition to the jury verdict form.
"This is new under Montana law. This is actually my first inquest that I've been required to do it personally. And we've had other inquests, but my attorneys and my office have done it. Was the death the result of suicide by law enforcement intervention? This is an important addition to our laws in Montana," Twito said to the jury during his final remarks. "And it's something that you guys need to determine if you can, yes or no. And that's entirely up to you."
On Thursday, the jury heard testimony from Billings police officers and Yellowstone County sheriff's deputies. Each person took the stand and described the events of Saturday, March 25, 2023.
A ten-minute-long 911 call made by Not Afraid's partner stating Not Afraid had pulled a gun on her and stolen her vehicle was played for the jury. The dash cam footage from Billings police Sgt. Eric Schnelbach was played, showing the 10 minute long police pursuit. Different drone footage angles, as well as body camera footage from one of the law enforcement negotiators, were also shown to the jury.
Police said officers made repeated attempts to get Not Afraid to put both hands on the steering wheel, but she did not.
After over two hours of trying to get Not Afraid to exit the vehicle without her gun, the SWAT team threw spears containing CS gas into the back window of the vehicle. The gas was described as an extreme irritant to the eyes and nose.
Not Afraid left the vehicle at 6:24 p.m. with a gun in her right hand and a black purse in her left. Etter fired four shots from inside the SWAT vehicle.
Not Afraid later died at Billings Clinic.
The advisory verdict came on the second day of the inquest hearing. The Yellowstone County Attorney's Office will decide whether any criminal charges should be filed in the case.
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