Michael M. Ren was a 30-year-old Montana Highway Patrolman killed while on duty on April 8, 1978. He and a Lincoln County deputy were attempting to serve two felony warrants on a man recently released from a state mental health facility who had violated his release. Patrolman Ren spotted the suspect in a pickup and a high-speed pursuit followed. During the chase the suspect armed himself with a .308 rifle and fired at the pursuing officers; several rounds struck Ren’s patrol car.

The chase ended in Eureka. As Ren approached the stopped truck the suspect exited and fired a single shot that struck Ren in the abdomen, the bullet finding a gap between panels of his protective vest. The suspect then fled to a nearby residence and took the occupants hostage, prompting a standoff involving the sheriff’s office, the Highway Patrol, and the U.S. Border Patrol. After about six hours the hostages were released; three canisters of tear gas were deployed and the suspect surrendered. Ren was survived by his wife and a 5-year-old son who later joined the Montana Highway Patrol in 2000.

Does anyone have additional details about the pursuit, the suspect’s identity, or the scene in Eureka that day?