A Kalispell man who shot and killed himself after failing a breath alcohol test has been identified as 40-year-old Bradley Franklin.

At roughly 8 a.m. Thursday, Franklin showed up at the office of Compliance Monitoring Systems to take one of his two daily court-mandated breath tests as part of the 24/7 Sobriety Program. His participation in the program was due to a pending criminal case alleging what would be his fourth offense of drunken driving.

Franklin fled the office after failing the test, returning to his Seventh Avenue West North home, followed shortly by Kalispell police officers. As the officers arrived, they saw Franklin coming out of his home. He immediately turned around and went back inside.

As the officers knocked on Franklin’s door and tried to get him to come back out, he fatally shot himself.

A negotiator and Kalispell’s Special Response Team responded before entry was made into the home and Franklin’s body discovered.

According to a dispatch log, Franklin lived with a roommate, who was in the basement when Franklin committed suicide.

Franklin was arrested on Feb. 2 this year during a traffic stop by Kalispell police on the U.S. 93 bypass. According to a court document, he was driving a Roto Rooter truck reported as traveling erratically.

The officers reportedly followed the truck, stopping Franklin after witnessing further behavior indicating an impaired driver. 

Franklin allegedly denied he had been drinking, although officers reported he smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. He allegedly failed field sobriety tests and a later breath-alcohol test that reportedly registered at nearly three times the legal limit.

His prior convictions for drunken driving came in January 1995, March 2005 and September 2012.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or at [email protected].