Ferndale shooting suspect pleads not guilty
Matthew Vitek and public defender Camisha Sawtelle (Jeff Smith photo)
The man accused of murdering a woman and trying to kill two others in Ferndale last month pleaded not guilty to three felonies in Lake County District Court on Wednesday.
Matthew T. Vitek, 49, entered not guilty pleas to one count of deliberate homicide and two charges of attempted deliberate homicide and now awaits his next court hearing March 20 with a jury trial set to begin June 3.
On Dec. 10, Flathead and Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to several calls reporting a shooting at a property in Ferndale. There, they found three gunshot victims. Tammi Jordan, 56, of Bigfork, died from her injuries after she was brought to a Kalispell hospital, according Dr. Sunil Prashar, a pathologist with the Montana State Crime Lab.
Jeffrey and Heather Kislewski both sustained gunshot wounds to the chest, but are recovering.
The site of the shooting, at the 30000 block of Cayuse Lane in Ferndale, includes a residence with a pet grooming business, an automotive shop and another home to the east.
When deputies arrived on scene, they heard a gunshot from inside the automotive shop, where they entered and announced law enforcement was on scene, charging documents stated.
Charging documents also said the ordeal was caught on video by a camera on the property. Prosecutors allege it shows one victim leaving the home on the property, followed by another yelling to call 911.
Another victim allegedly told Vitek to leave the property and he replied, “You are all going to die.”
The charging document goes on to claim the video then captured Vitek saying, “Alright, here we go. We’re going to have some fun.”
The video then shows Vitek shooting all three outside the shop before chasing one inside and firing again.
Vitek remains in custody at the Lake County jail on a $3 million bond.