The following was sent to our press releases and is being released in its entirety as sent to us because as the CCLP says, they Demand Truth and Honesty in local media.

This is about as true and honest as we can get, that is publishing the source.

——– Forwarded Message ——–

Good Morning – 

Please find attached and copied in the email a press release regarding the recent inquest on the deputy involved shooting and subsequent reporting by The Electric.

You can also find it at this public link:

Please feel free to reach out for any questions.

CCLP Demands Truth and Honesty in Local Media Reporting

Criticism of The Electric’s Coverage, With Plans for an Independent Report

GREAT FALLS, MT, June 7, 2024 – The Electric provided coverage on the Coroner’s inquest into the February 23 Cascade County deputy involved shooting. In this article, the Electric misrepresents what is true and factual as well as the jury’s responsibilities and verdict. Given this incident resulted in the death of a community member, the Electric should take better care to report on this case faithfully. Examples of this unprofessional reporting are included below.

Additionally, since the investigation has concluded with a public inquest, the Cascade County Libertarian Party will be following up with our county officials to gain further clarity on the policies and culture that led up to these events. We aim to provide our own reporting in the coming weeks, attempting to keep as honest and true to the evidence on hand.

The Electric Excerpts

Tri said Hanson still had his hand in his pocket, so he started to pull his weapon and asked Hanson what he had as the weapon cleared his pocket and was pointed at Tri.

Unfortunately, there is only audio recording, and no video recording, meaning this is all based on Detective Tri’s perception in a high-stress situation. The lack of clarity from the Electric’s reporting has the potential to mislead the public into believing Hanson had been pointing his weapon in the direction of detective Tri. As testimony this cannot be considered as factual.

Tri testified that his gun malfunctioned, which the crime lab confirmed, so he was trying to fix that as Hanson was shooting at him and he was hit in the shoulder. He returned fire and Hanson fell to the ground.

Like the prior excerpt, this is a summary of Detective Tri’s testimony which is based on his perceptions in a high-stress situation. The Electric’s paraphrasing and lack of verbatim quotes suggests Hanson was shooting at Detective Tri amid clearing the malfunction. However, based on Detective Tri’s audio recording and the Division of Criminal Investigation’s testimony, there seems to be a clear audio signal of a racking gun slide. Additionally, the Division of Criminal Investigation counted 9 total shots heard from the audio recording, where the first shot occurs, followed by racking of the gun slide, and then the remaining 8 shots. This indicates Hanson was not shooting at Detective Tri until after the firearm malfunction was cleared.

In closing, Racki said that the jury had to determine if Hanson’s death was caused by criminal means or was justified as self defense.

County Attorney Racki was referring to MCA 46-4-205, which specifies what the verdict of the jury entails. Racki was correct that this includes: 1) who the deceased person is, 2) when and where the deceased died, 3) if the deceased died by criminal means, and 4) if the deceased was killed by criminal means. The Electric is inserting language inappropriately, because the jury did not make any verdict relating to the justification for self-defense.The jury may have provided a verdict of no criminal activity, but that does not absolve Detective Tri or the Sheriff’s Office from all responsibility.

About the CCLP

The Libertarian Party is the people’s representative in American politics. It is the only political organization which respects people as unique and competent individuals.

The Cascade County and Montana Libertarian Parties are the real choice for less government, lower taxes, and a freer future. The CCLP believes in both economic and personal freedom. We believe people should be free to make their own choices, provided they don’t infringe on the equal right of others to do the same. Government’s role should be to protect an individual’s right to make their own choices in life, so they can reap the rewards of their successes and bear personal responsibility for their decisions.

Contact Us

For questions, please contact the CCLP Chair:
Anthony Rosales, PhD
trrosales@gmail.com

Grace and peace,

Tony Rosales, PhD