Two people were wounded by gunfire Wednesday night in Eureka after a man unleashed a fusillade of shots.

The alleged gunman who had pursued the wounded pair through town was arrested in the parking lot of the Law Enforcement Center.

The drama began to unfold when Eureka Dispatch received a call from a woman who had been shot and was fleeing from her assailant.

Hadassah Pereslete, 23, and Tyler Wilson, 27, were reportedly shot by Michael Ilk, Pereslete’s ex-boyfriend. At the time Pereslete made the call, Ilk reportedly was chasing the victims as they drove toward Eureka from the Eureka Hill subdivision.

According to court records, Pereslete and Wilson, her coworker, had just finished the day working on a home being built in a new subdivision at roughly 8 p.m. Ilk arrived in a Dodge pickup and saw the two together and began shooting at them with a 9-mm handgun. They fled in Wilson’s vehicle and had to drive past Ilk.

Ilk continued shooting at them as they drove past, firing 14 rounds. Pereslete was hit in the leg and arm and Wilson was shot in the arm and hand.

Two shots entered the windshield and two entered the driver’s side window.

Law officers responded south on U.S. 93 and intercepted the vehicles heading north near Dewey Avenue and Sixth Street. Officers attempted to pull Ilk over while the victims continued to the Law Enforcement Center.

However, Ilk refused to stop and continued following the victims’ vehicle into the Law Enforcement Center parking lot. Officer Ian Jeffcock ordered Ilk out of his vehicle at gunpoint and arrested him without further incident.

The officers who arrived on the scene began giving medical aid to both victims.

Officers were able to control bleeding by applying multiple tourniquets to both victims before Eureka Ambulance arrived.

“The officers that responded did a great job of getting the bleeding to stop,” Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe said. “They applied pressure until they could get more advanced medical care.”

The ALERT helicopter responded from Kalispell and flew Pereslete to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Wilson was transported by Eureka Ambulance to Point of Rocks and then transferred to Flathead Advanced Life Support ambulance. 

Both victims are currently at Kalispell Regional Medical Center recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.

“We’re just really, really fortunate that we didn’t have two young people lose their lives,” Bowe said. “It appears they will be able to recover from their injuries.”

Ilk, 40, is from Alberta, Canada. 

He is currently being held at the Lincoln County Detention Center in Libby on two counts of assault with a weapon.  

Ilk’s bond has been set at $1 million by Justice of the Peace Jay Sheffield.