On a tragic Friday afternoon, October 24, 2003, in the small border town of Oldtown, Idaho, the life of 41-year-old Tiki Danielle Maltby Wiese was cut short in a violent outburst that stunned the community. The incident unfolded at the Stateline Bar, a local tavern situated on the Idaho-Washington border. A dispute between Tiki and her ex-boyfriend, 53-year-old Ralph Reeves, is believed to have been the catalyst for the deadly events that followed.
Witnesses reported that the scene
inside the bar was ordinary until Reeves suddenly began shooting. The gunman, armed with a semiautomatic pistol, opened fire, resulting in the deaths of four people. Among the victims were Tiki, her former father-in-law, 84-year-old Leroy Wiese, and two other patrons, 63-year-old Chester Cavaliere and 63-year-old Henry Shumake, all from the neighboring town of Newport, Washington. One witness narrowly escaped being shot when the gunman turned his weapon on him, only to find it was out of ammunition.
Following the shooting, Ralph Reeves fled the scene, prompting a search by authorities in both Idaho and Washington. Reeves, who was reportedly homeless and living out of his car, was considered suicidal by those who knew him. Law enforcement officers from Bonner and Pend Oreille counties located his vehicle later that night. As deputies approached the car, which was under surveillance, Reeves died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The murder-suicide left the small community of Oldtown grappling with the sudden and senseless loss of four of its neighbors.
