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Helena Man Shot and Killed After High-Speed Chase on Marias Pass

By Beacon Staff

The Helena man shot and killed by Glacier County sheriff deputies late Thursday night has been identified. James Marlowe Ness led police on a high-speed chase over Marias Pass before being killed in a shootout near East Glacier.

Details were sparse on Friday, but Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said his office was notified shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday that an armed and suicidal man was in the area. Deputies found Ness near West Glacier and tried to check on his welfare before he sped off. Deputies then followed him on a high-speed chase toward Marias Pass but backed off near Essex.

“They thought that the speed and conditions were posing a risk to public safety,” Curry said.

Ness was stopped by law enforcement near East Glacier and a shootout ensued. Ness was shot during the incident and died upon arrival at a nearby hospital, according to a press release from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Glacier County sheriff’s office. The FBI is investigating the incident.