On a crisp afternoon in Gallatin County, Montana, on December 1, 2010, the life of 23-year-old Caucasian male, David DeLaittre, a dedicated Montana Highway Patrol Trooper, was tragically cut short. The incident unfolded around 4:20 p.m. on Lane Road near the Three Forks Airport when Trooper DeLaittre initiated a traffic stop. The subject of the stop was Errol Brent Bouldin, 56, who was driving a 1999 green Ford F-250 pickup truck.
Before DeLaittre could exit his patrol car, Bouldin got out of his truck and started walking towards the trooper's vehicle. He then abruptly turned back to his truck, retrieved a 12-gauge shotgun, and opened fire on Trooper DeLaittre. An exchange of gunfire ensued, during which DeLaittre was struck in the abdomen. Despite his injuries, the young trooper took cover on the passenger side of his patrol car and returned fire as the suspect reloaded.
In the second exchange of shots, Trooper DeLaittre sustained a fatal wound.
Bouldin, who had been wounded in the chest during the firefight, fled the scene in his truck, sparking a massive manhunt involving over 100 law enforcement officers. Several hours later, authorities discovered Bouldin deceased in his vehicle in Broadwater County, having died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound from a. 22 caliber rifle. An autopsy on Bouldin revealed that a bullet fired by Trooper DeLaittre had struck him in the chest, fractured three ribs, and damaged his right lung, an injury that could have been fatal had he not taken his own life. David DeLaittre had served with the Montana Highway Patrol for two years and came from a family with a long history in law enforcement.
