Chad Rockman, 43, of Billings left for the mountains south of Red Lodge on the morning of April 8, 2020, intending to hike the Lake Fork Trail. Snow trapped his SUV on Lake Fork Road and a passing husband-and-wife hiking team stopped to help. As the hikers tried to walk away, Rockman followed with a large stick, smashed a truck window, and closed on the husband.

The wife’s bear spray reportedly had no effect; the husband fired once and missed, then fired again, and Rockman died of a single gunshot wound. Deputies and the county attorney later concluded the shooting was self-defense; prosecutors announced no charges would be filed and the case was treated as a justified fatal shooting under Montana’s self-defense law. Limited details remain about the moments before the shooting and the exact sequence of threats and movements.

Does anyone have additional information about Rockman’s final movements that morning or witnessed the encounter?