More details emerge about fatal Kila shooting

The Sunday evening incident on Rogers Lake Road near Kila that left one man dead began when his daughter called 911 to report he was pointing a gun at his wife.

It is one piece of information Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino shared Thursday even as officers from the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office investigate the fatal shooting of 52-year-old Anthony D. Grove by three members of the Flathead County SWAT team.

“The initial call was a man had a gun pointed at a woman,” Heino said. “According to their daughter, he was pointing a gun at his wife.

“As deputies were responding, there was another report of a shot being fired,” Heino said. “When there are reports of guns being used or shots fired, there is a large response.”

Heino also provided the names of the SWAT team members who fired at Grove. They included Logan Shawback and Travis Smith, both sergeants with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, and Jordan Venezio, a sergeant with the Kalispell Police Department.

According to Heino, Shawback is a 14-year member of the Sheriff’s Office and Smith has been with the department for nine years. Kalispell Police Chief Doug Overman said Venezio had been with his department for 10 years.

All three officers are on administrative leave pending the investigation.

Shawback was named in a 2015 lawsuit against the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office by a woman, Michelle Gentry, who was shot by deputy Caleb Pleasants during a 2013 incident. Shawback was on the scene but fired no shots. The suit was later dismissed.

Heino and Overman both said their officers had never shot anyone prior to Sunday’s incident.

In the Kila incident, Heino said by the time deputies arrived at the Grove residence, Anthony’s wife and daughter had left the home and were down the road.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they met him at the end of the driveway to his home, Heino added. They said Grove was armed with a high-powered rifle and confrontational, but then went back to the house.

“When he returned to the house, he fired more shots,” Heino said. “The deputies didn’t know if he was inside or outside the home so a drone was launched to get a look at what was happening without endangering officers.

“He then shot at the drone,” Heino said. “That’s when the SWAT team was called and the negotiator came in.”

Heino said there was some communication between the negotiator and Grove before he came out of the house, shot at officers and they returned fire with their standard-issue .223 caliber rifles.

Heino said Grove died at the scene.

“All three officers fired rounds, but it’s not known how many rounds were fired by each person,” Heino said.

“Right now, we’re waiting on the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office and Lake County Coroner to complete their investigations,” Heino said. “Then, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office will do an internal investigation and there will be a coroner’s inquest by the Flathead County Attorney’s Office.”

Heino said he isn’t sure when the investigation will be finished by Missoula and Lake county authorities.

“There is a separation once an investigation begins to avoid any appearance of improprieties,” Heino said.

There is no body camera footage of the incident. Heino said SWAT team members don’t wear body cameras because they would be positioned in the center of the chest and they would be blocked by the way officers hold their guns.

Sunday’s tragic incident was not the first time law officers were called to the home. Heino said there was a physical disturbance at the home in 2017, but no charges were filed and there were no details about it.

“Right now we’re all concerned for the individuals who work here and the family members, but we just have to wait for the investigation before anything else can be said,” Heino said.

He said counseling was offered to the officers who were involved in the shooting.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.