Man Threatens Man With an Axe at Missoula’s Homeless Camp
On February 20, 2022, Missoula Police Department officers responded to the City of Missoula sponsored "Authorized Campsite" in the 1100 block of Clark Fork Lane for an unknown emergency. When an officer arrived on scene, a member of Rogers Int'l, a security company tasked with patrolling around the city's homeless shelters, approached him and advised that a male had struck another male in the head with an object. Police Public Information Officer Lydia Arnold explains.
“When officers arrived, they learned the incident was regarding a male who had hit another male in the head with a piece of wood out of fear for his safety,” Arnold said. “Multiple officers responded. While on scene, officers spoke with the victim, the security company, the suspect who was identified as Henry Hall, and reviewed video surveillance of the incident. The victim reported Hall and others living in the authorized camping area had been harassing him over the last several days and making a variety of threats towards him.”
According to the victim, Hall and his “friends” are basically a "homeless gang" who "runs the camp", and if they do not like you, they threaten you and steal all of your things. The description the victim was providing was fairly accurate based on the officer’s dealings with the people who had been moved from underneath of the Reserve Street Bridge to this location.
“The victim reported Hall walked past him in very close manner carrying an axe,” Arnold said. “The victim reported the man bent down and began sharpening the axe near him. Because of the previous harassing over the last several days, the victim reported he was sure Hall was sharpening the axe and had planned to hurt him since Hall had no reason to be near him. The victim hit Hall over the head with a piece of wood. Officers were informed by on scene medical that Hall refused all medical attention and medical did not observe any immediate injuries.”
The victim said he told security what had happened and provided them with the wood that he had used to hit Hall. There was video that showed that this interaction took place just as the victim had stated. During the incident, Hall crouched down behind a truck that belonged to a member of Rogers Int'l. Court documents indicate Hall would have had no reason to even be near the truck due to his own vehicle being parked on the other side of the street.
According to the Rogers Int’l employee, Hall had ducked because Hall knows where the blind spots are for the camera system, as he has been studying them for days. The employee also advised that Hall is constantly being disruptive in the camp, but that what had happened tonight was "extremely out of character" for the victim, leading the MPD officer to believe that the victim was genuinely in fear of his life and only took action because he felt there was no other choice.
Hall was arrested and transported to the Missoula County Detention Center. He is currently being charged with felony assault with a weapon.
The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.