Montana Deputy, 28, Killed on Disturbance Call; Suspect Surrenders

A 28-year-old Montana sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed Friday night while answering a disturbance call in the small northwest Montana town of Eureka, and a Eureka police officer who went with him was wounded, according to Lincoln County Sheriff Darren Short.

Deputy Ryan Terpsma and the Eureka officer responded to a home on Lone Pine Trail at 8:23 p.m. on Oct. 30, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said, as reported by KPAX and NBC Montana. Terpsma was killed at the scene. The Eureka officer, who has not been publicly named, was struck by gunfire but suffered injuries that are not life-threatening, Short said, according to KPAX.

28-year-old Deputy Ryan Terpsma was shot and killed at the scene of a disturbance call, the department said. A Eureka police officer was also injured. https://t.co/ERsgmCM486

— KREM 2 NEWS (@KREM2) October 31, 2026

Investigators later found that a 46-year-old woman, Merrisa Walker, had also been shot and killed at the scene of the original call, the sheriff’s office said, according to NBC Montana and the Flathead Beacon. A juvenile girl was also injured, but she was treated at the scene and released, authorities said.

Suspect fired on pursuing deputies, then surrendered

Authorities identified the suspect as 50-year-old Matthew David Dye of Kalispell, NBC Montana reported. Officials said Dye fled the scene toward Kalispell with a 7-year-old girl in his vehicle, according to KPAX.

Flathead County sheriff’s deputies located the vehicle and gave chase, and Dye fired at the deputies during the pursuit, disabling two patrol cars, Short said, according to KPAX. The Flathead Beacon reported that deputies returned fire. Dye stopped just short of a roadblock at Bill Creek Road and Mountain Meadow Road and surrendered, and deputies recovered the 7-year-old girl unharmed, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office said, according to the Flathead Beacon.

The Flathead Beacon reported that, according to Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office, Dye shot and killed Terpsma and injured the other officer when the two arrived at the home. Dye will be charged in Terpsma’s death and is expected to have an initial hearing in Lincoln County Justice Court next week, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said, according to KPAX. Formal charges had not been filed as of Saturday, and Dye is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation, which remains ongoing, according to the Flathead Beacon. The Flathead County deputies involved in the pursuit shooting have been placed on administrative leave under department policy, KPAX reported.

A young deputy only months on the job

Terpsma had served as a detention officer with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office from December 2024 until May 2026, when he joined the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office said, according to KPAX. He was 28 years old.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office announced his death in a news release Saturday, according to the Flathead Beacon. Montana officials spent Saturday mourning the young deputy, KPAX reported, and law enforcement groups across the country shared tributes on social media, including the Officer Down Memorial Page, which listed his end of watch as Oct. 30, 2026.

Eureka sits in Lincoln County, a rural stretch of Montana near the Canadian border, where a handful of deputies cover large distances and backup can be far away. Friday’s shooting is a reminder of the risks officers take on every time they answer a call at a stranger’s door, and of how quickly a disturbance call can turn deadly.

Authorities have not released a motive or described any relationship between Dye and the people at the home. Daily Beltway will update this story as charges are filed and officials release more information.

Sources

• KPAX: Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy killed in Friday night shooting
• NBC Montana: Lincoln Co. deputy killed in Eureka shooting; suspect in custody
• Flathead Beacon: Lincoln County Deputy, Woman Killed in Eureka; Suspect Surrenders After Pursuit
• KREM 2 News on X

Reporting by Daily Beltway.