A jury last month found a Rollins man guilty of three felonies in connection with a 2022 shooting in downtown Whitefish that left a bystander injured.

Wilson Dane Huyser, 36, was convicted of criminal endangerment, assault with a weapon and criminal mischief on March 20 following a trial in Flathead County District Court. The jury deliberated about three hours before returning with a verdict.  

Judge Heidi Ulbricht, who presided over the trial, set sentencing for May 19. Deputy County Attorney Ashley Frechette prosecuted the case.  

Huyser fired multiple rounds after leaving the parking garage in downtown Whitefish about 11 p.m. on May 14, 2022, according to court documents. A ricochet from one round wounded a person standing in a nearby alley.  

About half an hour later, Huyser was tailgating a pair of teenagers as they drove down U.S. 93, court documents said. Stopping at the intersection with West Reserve Drive in Kalispell, the teens looked over to see Huyser pull out a handgun and aim it at them.  

Huyser, they told authorities, fired twice. One of the teens told investigators that "he did not know how the shots missed him," according to court documents.  

Two days after the shooting, a motorist alerted Whitefish Police officers to damage to his 2022 Chevrolet Corvette, which was left parked on East First Street on the night of May 14, according to court documents. Returning to the car, he found the windows shattered and impact marks on the driver's side door.  

Fragments from the bullets that caused the damage were sent to the Montana State Crime Lab, which linked them to a Beretta 9 mm seized from Huyser's pickup truck, court documents said. 

Investigators identified Huyser as a suspect through a combination of surveillance footage, witness accounts and a copy of his driver’s license, according to court documents.  

When authorities in Lake County confronted Huyser at his home, he confirmed he was in Whitefish the night of the shooting. A subsequent search of his vehicle turned up two handguns and a spent shell casing, court documents said.  

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 406-758-4430 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.