Suspect arrested after stabbing 79-year-old man

Great Falls, Montana – A confrontation between two men in a small town in central Montana has left a 79-year-old man dead and a 29-year-old with a gunshot wound to his arm, according to law enforcement officers.

According to Petroleum County Sheriff Bill Cassell, Larry G. Patterson was fatally stabbed on July 15 in an apartment complex in Winnett where he and the suspect both lived.

Before being arrested, the suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment. Charges are expected to be filed early next week, according to Cassell.

Cassell said the suspect had only been in Winnett for a few weeks after moving from Arizona, and the stabbing victim had only been there for a few weeks after moving from Wyoming.

The connection between the two men is being investigated.

“At this time we don’t know of any personal connection between the two, other than they lived in the same apartments about 100 feet from each other. From what we understand there was an argument and the argument resulted in a physical confrontation,” Cassell said