Woman released from jail

A woman suspected in the shooting death of her boyfriend in Whitefish was released from custody Sunday evening.

Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial said the possibility of self-defense is being investigated.

“We told her to stay around [the area] at the request of the county attorney’s office,” Dial said of Katherine Lanegan, 37.

Lanegan is suspected of shooting Ordean EngeBretson, 42, at a home on the 400 block of Colorado Avenue on Saturday night.

EngeBretson’s body was transported to the state Crime Lab in Missoula on Monday, and the results of an autopsy will be an important part of a report that will be submitted to the Flathead County attorney, Dial said.

“Once the autopsy results are back, they will make the decision” on whether to charge Lanegan with any crime, Dial said.

Neighbors reported hearing screams and then gunfire around 9:35 p.m. Saturday. Shortly afterward, Lanegan knocked on a neighbor’s door and said she had shot her boyfriend, according to a statement from Whitefish Police.

Dial declined to elaborate on the circumstances that led to the shooting.

When officers arrived at the home, they found EngeBretson on the living-room floor. He had been shot numerous times and was pronounced dead at the scene by a coroner. 

Lanegan was taken into custody and was temporarily held at the Whitefish jail until her release Sunday.