Great Falls Police & CCSO Deputies Help with Incident in Harlem

I've said it before and I'll say it again: our first responders never know what situation they're going to find themselves in.

Just today (9/25), Great Falls police department shared details surrounding an incident involving the Blaine County Sheriff's Office.

GFPD and Cascade County Sheriff's Office Assist Blaine County Sheriff's Office

Great Falls police chief Jeff Newton released a statement to social media about a request from Blaine County Sheriff's Office.

"Chief Jeff Newton received a mutual aid request from Blaine County Interim Sheriff Chris Adair," the statement read, "The request followed a welfare check conducted by Blaine County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputies, which resulted in a felony arrest warrant for a male and a search warrant for an associated residence."

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"BCSO deputies secured the scene and, with information the male was likely armed and barricaded inside the residence, Adair contacted Newton with a request for a SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) team to assist in executing the warrants."

The Central Montana High Risk Unit (CMHRU) which consists of GFPD officers and Cascade County Sheriff/Coroner's Office (CCSO) deputies, left Great Falls at around 10pm on Thursday (9/24) for Harlem, Montana which officials say is about 155 miles northeast of Great Falls.

Negotiation Turns Deadly

The team attempted to negotiate a peaceful surrender with the suspect until things took a turn for the worse early this morning (Fri., 9/25).

"At approximately 5:30am on September 25, 2026, the situation escalated when the armed male suspect confronted officers," officials said, "The situation rapidly evolved into an officer involved critical incident. Two CMHRU members sustained non-life threatening injuries. The pair were treated and released at the scene."

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"The male suspect is deceased. Subsequently, law enforcement officers located female inside the residence deceased and unrelated to the officer involved critical incident."

Officials say that members of the Montana Department of Justice and the Division of Criminal Investigations are leading the investigation with GFPD Captain Doug Otto and CCSO Sheriff Slaughter also in Harlem with medical and emergency teams.

Billings PD SWAT team was also a part of the CMHRU with Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office on standby.

It's being reported that a staggering 22 GFPD officers and 6 CCSO deputies were deployed with the CMHRU and have all since returned to Great Falls.

The Importance of Teamwork in Law Enforcement

Critical incidents like this highlight the importance of teamwork and the Great Falls PD chief made sure to acknowledge that.

"We are proud to work so closely with these agencies and appreciate their ongoing partnership," Great Falls PD said in their statement. "We commend the BCSO deputies, emergency dispatchers, and Interim Sheriff Adair for their professional and effective response."

"We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of the deceased, and we ask for the community’s support for the first responders affected by this incident. Further details will be released by BCSO Interim Sheriff Adair or DCI."