In the early evening of March 4, 2026, a fatal encounter unfolded in a parking lot on North Reserve Street in Missoula, Montana, leaving one man, Joshua Wykle, dead from a gunshot wound. Wykle was a white male. The incident drew a swift response from the Missoula Police Department and Missoula County Sheriff's Office, who arrived to find a tense scene with four armed men clad in tactical gear.
Upon their arrival, authorities discovered one of the men, later identified as Brandon Tyler
Wakefield, performing CPR on Joshua Wykle. The other three men at the scene, who also appeared to be bail bondsmen, identified Wakefield as the individual who had shot Wykle. Despite the immediate medical attention, Wykle was pronounced deceased at the scene. The three other men had their hands raised as officers approached.
In the aftermath of the shooting, two men were arrested. Brandon Tyler Wakefield was subsequently charged with deliberate homicide. The investigation revealed that the group of men were all bail bondsmen. During legal proceedings, further details emerged, identifying the men as two bail bondsmen who were formally charged in connection with the shooting that occurred in the parking lot near a Town Pump.
Brandon Wakefield, who was identified as a former Marine in addition to being a bondsman, entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of deliberate homicide. His bail was set at $200,000. The case against him is proceeding through the court system.
