Ex-deputy praised for stopping alleged assault

A Bigfork man spent his 70th birthday in the emergency room Sunday after stepping in to stop a mid-traffic altercation where a man was allegedly beating his female companion.

Gordon Goss, an ex-deputy sheriff from Oregon, was driving near Hutton Ranch Plaza in Kalispell at around 2:30 p.m. with his wife and granddaughter after his birthday lunch when he said his granddaughter pointed out the alleged violence unfolding in a silver Honda stopped next to them at a traffic light.

Goss said he looked to his left to see the man, identified by Kalispell Police Patrol Captain Tim Faulkner as 28-year-old Kevin McKay, allegedly punch the female driver in the face. Goss said he could hear the woman screaming.

When McKay allegedly reared back to strike the woman in the face with his elbow, Goss said he reacted immediately. He said he jumped out of his driver’s seat and pulled McKay out of the car next to him.

At over 6 feet tall, McKay reportedly towered over 5-foot-7 Goss, but the ex-deputy said he swung upward and hit McKay hard in the eye, cracking a bone in his right hand before swinging a second time with his left to catch McKay in the mouth.

“I had to really punch high to hit him,” Goss said. “For an old guy, I was moving right along.”

Goss claimed McKay stumbled backward but did not go down.

A crowd had gathered around the scene, according to Goss, when he bent down to ask the alleged victim if she wanted the man back in the car.

When she said no, Goss said he drew back to hit McKay again when an old injury caused his hip to go out, and he fell to the ground.

McKay allegedly dove back into the car with the woman while Goss struggled to get up, but the couple did not make it far before Kalispell officers apprehended the suspect in a nearby parking lot.

According to Officer Michelle O’Neil, one of the responding officers, multiple other 911 calls came in regarding the assault, but Goss was the first to take action.

“People were calling but not stopping,” O’Neil said. “I applaud him for stepping in.”

Faulkner said McKay was taken into custody while Goss spent the rest of his day in the hospital.

“I never felt 70 until yesterday,” Goss said.

He walked away with a “boxer’s fracture” in his hand, a sprained neck and a bruised spine.

“Oh yeah, I’d do it again to protect somebody,” Goss said. “I took an oath to protect and serve, and they didn’t give me an expiration date.”

Goss served for 11 years on the Wasco County Sheriff’s Department before moving to Bigfork where he now works doing equine therapy and running a ranch.

He claimed it was the Kalispell Police that deserved praise because of their dedication to performing the same duties day in and day out.

Goss said he returned home Sunday evening with a sore hand and no regrets.

According to Faulkner, McKay was charged with partner/family member assault and tampering with a communication device, with other possible charges pending.

Faulkner could not comment on whether drugs or alcohol were involved or the condition of the alleged female victim.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.