In the early hours of Christmas morning 2020, a violent altercation in a Stevensville, Montana apartment shattered the peace of the holiday. Inside the residence on 5th Street, a dispute between two men escalated, culminating in the death of 39-year-old John Harvey Komotios. A male resident of Montana, Komotios was shot multiple times with a handgun just after midnight and succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Responding to the incident, Ravalli County Sheriff's deputies arrested 33-year-old Trevor Matthew Looney of Stevensville. Looney was taken into custody and subsequently charged with deliberate homicide and possession of dangerous drugs. According to the investigation, no one else was present in the apartment at the time of the shooting.
Following his arrest, Looney made statements to deputies, describing a confrontation with Komotios.
He claimed the victim had threatened him, leading to a "standoff." Looney admitted to firing his handgun multiple times until it jammed. He also stated that he rolled Komotios onto his back after the shooting. Authorities continued to investigate the circumstances leading up to the fatal encounter and requested that anyone with information about Looney's activities prior to the shooting contact the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office.
