Man charged in Hungry Horse shooting incident

A 39-year-old Hungry Horse man faces two charges of felony assault with a weapon after he allegedly shot one or two guns at two different groups of people on July 21.

Ray Bell also faces a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest. Deputies responding to the shooting incident on Sixth St. West in Hungry Horse say Bell tried to run after they told him he was under arrest. A Taser was used to subdue Bell after a struggle.

If convicted, Bell faces up to 20 years in prison for each assault with a weapon charge. A third felony charge of criminal mischief was filed after Bell allegedly rammed his aunt’s vehicle with his truck that same day, moving it about 25 feet. The county attorney’s office later motioned to dismiss the criminal mischief charge after it was determined the damage to his aunt’s vehicle was less than $1,500.

According to court records, the shooting incident likely evolved out of a family dispute over the drowning death of Bell’s cousin in the Middle Fork of the Flathead River last year.

On July 21, another cousin called his sister at a barbecue in Hungry Horse from the Dam Town Tavern saying a group of people were going to assault him with a baseball bat.

Three men left the barbecue to assist the cousin at the bar. When they arrived, they saw Bell’s vehicle leave. They followed Bell to his home and then decided to leave to avoid a confrontation.

That’s when Bell allegedly chased the three on foot, catching up to their vehicle at the intersection of U.S. 2 and Sixth St. West. The driver’s side window was blown out, and the driver later went to North Valley Hospital to have shotgun pellets removed from his arm.

Meanwhile, Bell’s aunt had caught up with her daughter, who was walking to the bar to help her brother. The two women drove to Bell’s house where they saw the Bell aim a “long gun” at them. The daughter claims she heard Bell’s girlfriend shout, “Shoot them, Ray, shoot them.” The two women claim Bell fired three times at their vehicle.

Bell’s bond was set at $60,000, but the county attorney’s office noted in their charging document that Bell and his girlfriend might flee to Oregon if he is released on bond.

The county attorney’s office also noted that Bell posted a photo of himself on Facebook showing him carrying an assault rifle. The caption read, “F___ with me now haters. Cum get sum.” Another post read, “F___ u all. We r gone forever.”