
Missoula police not criminally responsible for Galbreath’s death, jury finds
Investigators testified the 21-year-old Blackfeet man died by suicide
Monday, May 2, 2022
Montana Free Press
A Missoula jury on Friday cleared a city police officer of criminal wrongdoing in the death of Brendon Galbreath, 21, after video footage showed the man shooting himself following a high-speed car chase with police.
The incident began with a traffic stop initiated by Officer Garrett Brown on Great Northern Avenue just after midnight on August 12, 2021. Brown eventually fired his weapon at Galbreath’s vehicle when both came to a stop — the officer’s bullet, later found in the back seat, showed no sign of striking the driver.
The video footage was included as evidence in a coroner’s inquest, a procedure outlined in state law for deciding whether to criminally charge police officers and other public agents when someone dies of non-natural causes while in custody. After hearing from four witnesses, including Brown, and reviewing evidence submitted by the Missoula County Attorney’s office, jurors unanimously ruled that Galbreath’s death was not by criminal means.

Mara covers Montana’s social welfare, criminal justice and legal systems. She also tracks policy and social issues that affect LGBTQ+ people. Prior to joining Montana Free Press, Mara worked at Slate and WNYC, where she focused on radio and podcasts. She got her start in audio journalism as an intern at Montana Public Radio. Contact Mara at msilvers@montanafreepress.org, 406-465-3386 ext. 3, and follow her on Twitter.
Note: This story originally appeared on Montana Free Press. It is published under a Creative Commons license.
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