Montana man was transported by helicopter to Kootenai Health

A man is in the hospital and another in custody after a shooting in Heron, Mont., near the Idaho border.

According to a report from The Sanders County Ledger, 36-year-old Edgar “ET” Torrey was shot in the back during a neighborhood dispute. The shooting happened Saturday, July 11,

Tiffany Lewis, Torrey’s sister-in-law, stated that six shots were fired and one struck him in the spine.

Relatives of Torrey reportedly returned fire before recovering him and driving to Noxon High-School, where he was transported by helicopter to Kootenai Health. Family members of Torrey say he was given six pints of blood and underwent emergency surgery.

Family friend Michele Young lives in Post Falls and hopes to raise awareness of the fundraiser to help the Torrey family.

According to Detective Martin Spring with the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office, suspect Michel Dulaney was taken into custody and is facing three counts of assault with a weapon. Dulaney’s bond was set at $500,000. Dulaney and Torrey, who are neighbors, have had disagreements in the past, the Ledger reported. Sanders County Sheriff’s Office reports the investigation is ongoing.

Dulaney is a dog breeder, contractor, and father of five.

Torrey is father of two girls and husband of Brittany Lewis, who stated that “His life pretty much got taken from him.”

According to a fundraising page set up by the family, Torrey has been moved from ICU, but is paralyzed from the chest down. As of Monday, more than $7,000 had been raised for the family.

A link to the Torrey family’s fundraising page can be found at bit.ly/2OF6hRu

Reed Perry can be reached at: [email protected]