Assault charge dropped against man investigated in connection with shooting
Jacob Richard Norris is being held at the Flathead County Detention Center on a felony charge of assault with a weapon following a shooting Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, on West Reserve Drive. (Flathead County Detention Center photo)
A Flathead County judge dropped a felony case against a man accused of wounding another person in a West Reserve Drive shooting late last year after he signed a deferred prosecution agreement.
Judge Amy Eddy dismissed the assault with a weapon case against Jacob Norris without prejudice at the request of prosecutors in late April. Authorities arrested the 41-year-old after responding to a report of a shooting near a gas station on Dec. 30.
According to court documents, Norris handed the gun over to the gas station cashier following the shooting, sparked by an argument involving Norris, his brother and another man. He maintained he was attacked at the time, but declined to speak further to arriving Kalispell Police officers and Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies, court documents said.
Surveillance footage captured Norris and his brother arguing with another man with Norris’ sibling intervening between the two, according to court documents. The two later met up again near the front door of the gas station, surveillance footage showed, and Norris is allegedly seen pulling an object from his body. The victim subsequently crumpled to the ground, court documents said.
The victim later received medical care for a gunshot wound to the chest. He allegedly told investigators that the brothers approached him looking for drugs. During the conversation, Norris allegedly called him a “tweaker,” igniting the ensuing argument.
Norris pleaded not guilty to the assault with a weapon charge at his Jan. 19 arraignment.
News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.