HELENA — On Monday, Broadwater County Sheriff/Coroner Nick Rauser identified Danielle Moore of Helena, 36 years old, as the woman who died after being shot by a law enforcement officer on Friday, March 14, in downtown Helena.

Since Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's deputies were involved in the shooting, Broadwater County is filling in as coroner.

Rauser says the autopsy is being done at the State Crime Lab in Missoula and Rauser is awaiting results for an official cause of death and toxicology report.

The shooting on Friday has left the Helena community with questions about what exactly happened.

What we do know is the incident started at the Lewis & Clark County Courthouse on Friday around 1:30 PM when investigators say a woman threatened a judge and court staff with a pistol.

"This did not happen within the courthouse. It happened on the perimeter just outside. It was within the curtilage of the courthouse, but that person did not make it past our security," said Lewis & Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton.

In addition to the county's contracted security at the courthouse, which works similarly to TSA at the airport, Dutton says his office has one deputy there. Still, he hopes to speak with the Lewis & Clark County Commission about increasing security.


Sheriff Dutton said, "It would enhance the safety of everyone if I was able to put more deputies in the courthouse. This happening exemplifies our concern. There are judges that are extremely concerned for their safety."

The incident ended in the 500 block of Broadway Avenue

The woman was shot after failing to comply with orders from officers and deputies.

Dutton says four law enforcement officers from the Sheriff's office and Helena Police Department were involved in the shooting.

The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident.

Cases like this can be complicated.

"The difficulty with this case is we have two crime scenes. One inside the courthouse [and the other] where the use of deadly force occurred. That takes time interviewing all the people and getting statements," said Dutton. 



The sheriff's office and HPD are conducting their own administrative investigations, as is standard procedure.

This is an ongoing investigation, so there is information that cannot be released right now.

Dutton said, "People that don't know tend to speculate. They tend to make up their own thoughts. Please don't do that. There's a lot of people that are guessing wrong. Flat wrong."



We will update you as we get more information.