Billings, Montana – No arrests have been made, and Billings police are still looking for one person they think was involved in a fatal shooting that occurred on the South Side of the city on Sunday night.
A “disturbance” occurred on Second Avenue South at 11:20 p.m. Sunday after one person witnessed three other people approach a fifth person, according to Lt. Matthew Lennick in a news release on Tuesday.
According to Lennick, the witness observed one of the gang discharge a gun, so the witness got his or her own gun and went over to the group, thinking there was an “active assault” going on. Two members of the advancing group were hit by bullets that were fired. One passed away, while the other sustained unspecified injuries.
The third group member escaped and hasn’t been located. The two guns were found and recovered, according to Lennick.
Randall James Jr., 26, was killed, family members at the scene on Monday informed MTN News. Nobody connected to the shooting has been named by the police.
It was not made clear who fired the shots that hit James and the other person in the news release on Tuesday, which was issued around 40 hours after the initial complaint. Police did not identify the group member who the witness saw carrying the pistol.
Police stated on Monday that despite the lack of any arrests, they don’t think the general public is in danger.
Around 11:19 p.m., James’ body was found by police in the 4000 block of Second Avenue South. About a street distant, across State Avenue, in the 100 block of Hallowell Lane, police discovered the injured victim.
Lennick stated that it took several cops to handle the vast crime scene, which covered several blocks, and that investigators stayed on the scene for 17 hours. All of this, in addition to a tweet from the department’s Twitter account, which offered basic information about three hours after the incident, contributed to a delay in the release of more specific information, according to Lennick.
Read the full release below:
This release is regarding information for C&O 22-82968 a homicide investigation from November 27, 2022, in the 4000 block of 2nd Avenue South.
On November 27nd, at 11:19 PM, Billings Police Department patrol was dispatched to the 4000 block for a shooting. Officers arrived in the area and located a deceased male (26 year old, local), and multiple witnesses/involved parties. A search of the area led Officers to another address in the 100 block of Hallowell, where a subject suffering from a gun-shot wound was located. Medical care was provided by responding Officers and by medical responders.
At this time the initial investigation indicates that a subject who was in the area of 2nd Avenue South witnessed a group of three individuals approach another subject in this area and a disturbance took place. During the disturbance one of the subjects produced a firearm and discharged the firearm. The first subject retrieved a firearm believing an active assault was taking place. The first subject made contact with the group and shots were fired, striking the decedent and another party. The third subject fled the area and has not yet been located. All other parties have been located and both firearms have been recovered. At this time no arrests have been made, and detectives will continue to investigate the incident.
This was a large scene that spanned from 2nd Avenue South over to Hallowell that required a large number of Officers to respond and process, and was evolving over the first couple hours of the investigation. Detectives were on scene for seventeen (17) hours completing the scene investigations. The need to provide accurate information to the public caused a delay in the information that could be released in this case, but it is important to be factual for the integrity of the case, as well as out of respect for the individuals involved or affected. We commend the Officers on the initial scene as well as the detectives that will continue to work on this incident.
