Montana Man Beaten With His Own Shotgun During Property Dispute

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On the night of September 24, 2026, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Deputies responded to a reported assault in the 32000 block of  Bible Lane in Alberton, Montana. A deputy spoke with the reporting party, 65-year-old John Doe. Doe was on the porch of his residence, holding paper towels from his face and visibly bleeding from his lip and ear.  

He said that he observed lights in the back field of his residence and went to investigate them. He took a Rossi 410 shotgun with him and confronted two males who were in a white pickup truck. He recognized one of the males as 35-year-old Ted Hurley. Ted had previously lived at the property and had stored vehicles and other property in the field. Doe had recently told Ted that he could come and retrieve his property but needed to make an appointment first, which Ted had not done.  

Doe yelled at the two men to identify themselves and explain why they were on Doe’s property. Doe was holding the shotgun with its barrel up and stock down and had not pointed it at the men. Ted grabbed hold of the shotgun and tried to pull it away, hitting Doe in the face several times. Doe tried to fight back but was only able to defend himself. Doe lost the shotgun and fell to the ground from being punched, kicked, and hit with elbows.  

Deputy’s Observations: Injuries and Evidence

The deputy observed injuries to Doe’s face, head, arms, and abdomen. The deputy specifically noted a large bump to the back left side of Doe’s head, an abrasion above the right eye, a laceration below the right eyebrow, a laceration to the upper lip, an abrasion on the back of the right arm, a large abrasion across the lower portion of the ribs with a large red line, above which was a single round spot and what looked like a bracket-shaped red mark. The deputy later inspected the shotgun involved and believed this injury was likely from having been hit with the shotgun. Doe stated he also had a bruise on his leg.  

The deputy went to the assault scene and observed a broken Rossi shotgun stock and a pair of glasses, as well as tire tracks in the grass suggesting multiple vehicles had been moved. Another deputy located Ted, who was on GPS monitoring through Pretrial Services in Huson, Montana.  

Ted told the deputy that he used to live at Doe’s property and had gone there to retrieve his property without speaking to Doe first. Ted stated that Doe had come out and pointed a shotgun in Ted’s friend’s face, which the friend grabbed, after which Ted “ripped the gun out of both of their hands” after shoving Doe. When asked how Doe had gotten injuries, Ted responded, “probably because he f*****g deserved it.” Ted did not have any visible injuries. Ted also described elbowing Doe in the face to the deputy. 

READ MORE: Missoula News - Crime Reports

Ted is currently being charged with felony assault with a weapon and assault. His bond was set at $75,000. 

The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.