A New York family’s vacation out West ended in a scene of unimaginable horror when a man rammed his vehicle into them, got out, and set about shooting the adults and children with a shotgun.
Two of the family were shot dead on the Montana roadside, including a toddler, before the baby’s aunt ended the rampage by killing their attacker.
The Siau family were walking down a road in the town of East Glacier, near the eastern Glacier National Park entrance in Montana, when the onslaught began shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday.
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Authorities identified the assailant as Derick Amos Madden, 37, from Goldsby, Oklahoma, who plowed into the family before crashing into a tree. He got out wielding a shotgun and killed David Siau, 39, who was visiting from Pompey, New York.
Madden then opened fire on those who were fleeing, hitting Christy Siau, 40, and her 18-month-old daughter, McKenzie, who Christy was carrying. McKenzie was fatally wounded while Christy was critically injured, and ultimately survived.
Madden then attacked David’s sister, Christina Siau, 30, who lived locally in East Glacier. Madden had run out of ammunition, officials said, and so he switched to using a knife, stabbing Christina. But Christina fought for her life and, despite suffering critical injuries, managed to kill Madden at the scene.
Madden spent “about 10 years” serving in the Oklahoma National Guard, and was assigned to the 63rd Civil Support Team, a National Guard spokesman told The Daily Beast. The unit is tasked with providing “expert support to civilian first responders in the event of a chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological and high yield explosive-related emergencies.”
Madden left the Guard on Apr. 3, 2013, and “we’ve had no other interactions with him since he separated,” the spokesman said.
Christina, a physician’s assistant, moved to Montana in recent years and took a job at a community hospital run by the federal government’s Indian Health Service. She worked at a hospital for members of the Blackfeet Nation, according to open-source payroll data.
Madden had mental-health issues and had previously been in a relationship with Christina, according to the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office. They described the incident as being “isolated” with “a clear nexus between the victims and Madden,” adding that the investigation is ongoing. It’s not yet clear what sparked Madden’s horrific attack on his ex and her family. Local authorities said they weren’t aware of any previous interactions between Madden and law enforcement.
McKenzie, Christy, and Christina were rushed to the Indian Health Services hospital in Browning, around 13 miles away. McKenzie was declared dead there, while her mother and aunt were airlifted to another hospital for further treatment. A fundraiser for the family has been set up here.
Reached by phone, Michaela Siau Pfohl, David and Christina Siau’s sister, told The Daily Beast that their father would be making a statement in the near future and asked the public for privacy as the family grieves.
“You can definitely share the GoFundMe, because while money isn’t going to fix all the problems, it will help my sister and sister-in-law as we try to step forward from this.”
Two of the Pompey couple’s other kids were able to flee the attack without injury, cops said.
Capt. Tom Seifert of the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office told The Daily Beast that the agency is not yet ready to reveal how Madden was killed.
“The investigation is ongoing,” Seifert said on Wednesday. “We still have to talk to some people and verify some things.”
Michael Mazzye, the pastor of Renovation Church in North Syracuse, knew David and Christy Siau and described the couple to Syracuse.com as “caring, sweet people who are thoughtful of others.”
“I can’t imagine this horrible tragedy. It’s unthinkable,” he added.
Read it at AP
