In the early morning hours of June 9, 2025, the life of 22-year-old Darien Donald Bickel, a White/Caucasian male, was tragically cut short in Great Falls, Montana. The fatal incident unfolded at the Phoenix Apartments on 10th Avenue South, beginning with calls to the Great Falls Police Department around 3:42 a.m. regarding people banging on an apartment door. Officers who initially responded to the disturbance call found nothing amiss. However, a subsequent call at 4:03 a.m.
reported the same disturbance, quickly followed by another resident reporting that two people had been shot.
Upon their arrival at the scene for the second time, police discovered Darien Bickel lying unresponsive on the ground outside an apartment unit. He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. A second victim, identified as Braden Walker, was found with a gunshot wound to his shoulder. Walker was transported to Benefis Health System for treatment and was later released. Bickel was remembered by his family as a loyal and loving man with an infectious laugh who loved the outdoors, his friends and family, and was the proud father of a daughter.
The investigation into the shooting quickly focused on a nearby apartment. After a prolonged response that involved SWAT officers, several individuals were detained. During interviews with witnesses, including Bickel's girlfriend who was present at the scene, investigators were told that 20-year-old Charlotte Mary Andrade was the shooter. Although they did not see her fire the weapon, witnesses cited "recent issues" with Andrade. After some time, Andrade admitted to investigators that she had fired three shots from an upstairs window, striking both men. A gun was later found hidden under a couch.
Charlotte Mary Andrade was arrested and booked into the Cascade County Adult Detention Center on June 9. She has been charged with deliberate homicide for the death of Darien Bickel and attempted deliberate homicide for the shooting of Braden Walker. Her bond was set at $1 million. It was also reported that Andrade had been previously charged in an unrelated 2023 homicide case but was acquitted by a jury in 2024.
