(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Montana man who wanted to 'rid' town of all LGBTQ+ people sentenced for federal hate crime – Daily Montanan [1] ['Aislin Tweedy', 'More From Author', '- June'] Date: 2023-06-14 Montana man who wanted to ‘rid’ town of all LGBTQ+ people sentenced for federal hate crime Montana man who wanted to ‘rid’ town of all LGBTQ+ people sentenced for federal hate crime by Aislin Tweedy, Daily Montanan June 14, 2023 John Russell Howald, 44, from Basin, Montana, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for shooting into a home in what prosecutors described as an attempt to rid the small town of LGBTQ+ residents, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Howald was convicted by a federal jury on Feb. 17 of a hate crime involving an attempt to kill and discharge of a firearm, the news release said. He used an AK-style rifle at the residence of a lesbian, who was home at the time. He then walked farther into town intending to target others he perceived to be lesbian, queer and gay. “This defendant is being held accountable for his horrific attempted mass shooting against the LGBTQI+ community in a Montana town,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the federal Department of Justice Civil Rights Division in a statement. “Howald set out to rid the town of all LGBTQI+ members by killing them. He shot into the home of a lesbian resident, nearly killing her, with the hope of inspiring similar attacks around the country. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously defend the rights of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, to be free from hate-fueled violence. “This Pride Month, we affirm our commitment to using the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act to hold perpetrators of hate-fueled violence targeting the LGBTQI+ community accountable.” According to court documents cited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, on March 22, 2020, Howald went on a self-described mission to rid the town of Basin of its lesbian, queer and gay community. Howald was armed with two assault rifles, a hunting rifle, two pistols and multiple high-capacity magazines that were taped together to speed reloading. Howald walked to the first victim’s residence and fired multiple rounds from an AK-style rifle into her home. Hoping he had killed her, Howald set off toward other houses occupied by people who identify as lesbian, queer or gay. Local residents, who knew Howald and happened to be leaving church, stalled him long enough for a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy to respond and inadvertently recorded Howald yelling and firing more rounds with the same rifle, expressing his hatred toward the community’s gay and lesbian residents and his determination to “clean” them from his town. When the deputy arrived, Howald pointed the AK-style rifle at the officer, nearly starting a shootout in downtown Basin, and then fled into the hills, firing at least one round as he went. Law enforcement arrested Howald the next day and found him armed with a loaded pistol and a knife. In Howald’s car, officers found an AR-style rifle and a revolver. During a search of Howald’s camper, officers found an AK-style rifle, a hunting rifle, and ammunition. “Only the heroic and brave actions of residents and law enforcement, as well as some good fortune, prevented a targeted mass shooting,” said U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich for the District of Montana. “It is the kind of conduct that has no place in Montana.” Daily Montanan is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Darrell Ehrlick for questions: info@dailymontanan.com. Follow Daily Montanan on Facebook and Twitter. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2023/06/14/montana-man-who-wanted-to-rid-town-of-all-lgbtq-people-sentenced-for-federal-hate-crime/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/