Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Adam Gane stood before his fellow troopers on Wednesday afternoon in Missoula and received the highest award possible in his profession, the Medal of Valor, from Montana Attorney General Tim Fox.

Gane was involved in an incident that occurred in St. Regis on June 6, 2013 in which 62 year-old Howard Curtis Martin was shot and killed. Following the incident, Mineral County Sheriff Bob Edwards provided this comment.

"An investigation by the Division of Criminal Investigation at the Montana Department of Justice revealed that after Martin, who was armed, left his home  in St. Regis, he called a family member while officers were searching for him. He told her that he had a law enforcement officer in the cross-hairs of his scope, and indicated he was on a ridge near his home.”

"During an armed encounter with officers, the suspect wouldn't follow commands to drop the rifle. The initial investigation indicates that the suspect raised the weapon towards officers at which point he was shot and killed by Montana Highway Patrol trooper Adam Gane of Missoula."

Following the award ceremony, Gane said receiving the award will bring closure to the incident for him and his young family.

"I guess in some sense it's the final piece in the puzzle, the final closure for the whole incident," Gane said. "We had the coroner's inquest, there was a Governor's award some months back, and to me, it's the final piece can be put into place, and it's all behind me now."

Adam Gane
photo by Peter Christian
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Gane said due to the actions of all law enforcement officers involved, no one else was injured during the incident in St. Regis that night.

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