Shooting lands man in hospital continued..... charges now

Charges filed against man accused of shooting at deputy
Posted on May 24




KALISPELL - Lincoln County officials say charges were filed Friday against a Eureka man accused of shooting at a deputy earlier this week.

Harry Sultzer III, 55, is charged with three felonies: attempted murder, assault on a peace officer and assault with a weapon, County Attorney Bernie Cassidy said.

Cassidy added that the matter is still under investigation, and ``there may be other charges filed at a later date.''


Investigators say Sultzer was under the influence of drugs, and pointed a rifle at a friend and shot through the roof of a trailer Tuesday.

Sultzer and the friend then left the trailer and got in Sultzer's pickup truck. According to court records, Sultzer was driving erratically and ``threatened to kill the cops,'' so his friend jumped out of the vehicle and contacted police.

Deputy Steve Short later spotted Sultzer's truck and tried to pull him over, but Sultzer sped back to the trailer. Short said Sultzer got out of the truck and pointed a rifle at him from 20 feet away.

Short ``feared for his own life'' and fired about three rounds at Sultzer, hitting him twice in the chest, court records said.

Sultzer fired eight to 10 rounds at Short before his gun jammed, hitting a patrol car and a nearby van, court documents said. Short was uninjured.

Sultzer is being treated at a Kalispell hospital and will be taken into custody once he is released, authorities said.