Man fatally shot in incident with Cut Bank police – identity confirmed

Harley Olson, 42, of Cut Bank was fatally wounded early Saturday, officials with the Flathead County Coroner’s Office said. The Glacier County Sheriff’s Office requested a civilian Flathead County coroner contact Logan Health in Kalispell to conduct the coroner’s inquest.

Olson’s body was taken to the Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula for a forensic autopsy, Flathead County officials said in a news release.

The Montana State Department of Criminal Investigation is investigating this incident in the interest of transparency, officials said.

Officials said the Cut Bank police officer saw a disorderly person on the street outside a bar around 1:20 a.m. Saturday, but when he was approached, the man fled to a parked vehicle in the parking lot of another bar. When the suspect was asked to exit the car, he ran over the police officer, who fired his service weapon at the man, authorities said.

The suspect was hit by the gunfire, officials said. The officer was injured and receiving medical treatment. He is expected to make a full recovery, officials said Saturday.

The officer, whose identity was not disclosed, has been placed on leave pending the investigation.

Further information was not initially available on Wednesday.