Deputies Respond to Active Situation in Leisure Village, Sunrise Road Evacuated

Lewis & Clark County deputies, backed by a SWAT presence, descended on Sunrise Road in the Leisure Village neighborhood northeast of Helena on Tuesday evening after concerns arose that an individual they were attempting to contact may have barricaded themselves inside a building and could have had a weapon.

The Sheriff's Office posted at 5 p.m. that deputies were "currently handling a situation on Sunrise Road in Leisure Village," offering no initial details about the nature of the incident. Within the hour, the picture sharpened: the situation was contained to a single residence, and surrounding neighbors had been evacuated out of an "abundance of caution."

Roadblocks went up at multiple points across the neighborhood. Sunrise Road between Leisure Drive and Riviera Drive was closed, with additional roadblocks set up at the intersections of Sunset Road with Leisure Drive and Sunset Road with Riviera Drive. The Sheriff's Office was direct in its messaging to anyone considering driving through: "Roadblocks are in place and you will be turned around if you attempt to come into the area. Please stay out of the area. Thank you for your help."

A command post was established in the parking lot of Tizer Meats at 2805 York Rd. Displaced Leisure Village residents who needed to retrieve items from their homes were directed to stop by the command post to coordinate access with law enforcement.

By 5:46 p.m., the Sheriff's Office moved to tamp down misinformation spreading through the community, stating that rumors of an active shooter in Leisure Village were false. "There is no active shooter," the office said plainly.

Less than 30 minutes later, at 6:11 p.m., the situation was declared resolved. "There is no threat to the public but law enforcement officers will remain in the area for several hours," the Sheriff's Office stated. As of that update, there was no word on whether anyone had been injured or taken into custody. No injuries, arrests, or charges had been confirmed by any agency as of Tuesday evening.

The identity of the individual deputies sought to contact, the specific address of the residence involved, and whether any weapon was located all remained unanswered as of the latest reporting.