Officials looking into death
Flathead County Sheriff's Office is investigating a shooting Friday night on the premise that it is a suicide.
The circumstances of the death are unusual enough to make investigators take a close look.
A truck rollover was reported at about 11 p.m. on Martin Camp Road. A local man, Terry Lawson Carter, 46, was partially ejected in the crash and was first reported as unconscious. When medical and law-enforcement personnel arrived, they discovered he had been shot. An empty holster was found in the vehicle.
A woman who was a passenger in the truck reportedly told witnesses not to call police. She left the scene and was found hours later. She allegedly told officers that after the truck rolled, Carter shot himself after she got out of the vehicle.
A gun was reportedly found in the snow outside the driver's side of the truck.
Deputy County Coroner Bob Provo said he is awaiting some forensics evidence before he makes a solid determination about the man's cause of death.
The victim's body will be sent to the state crime lab for study.