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Suspect jailed after 1 killed, 2 injured in Ferndale shooting

Ferndale Shooting
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POLSON — We are learning more information about a Sunday evening shooting in Ferndale.

One person died and two others were injured in the shooting which happened at a residence on Cayuse Lane in Ferndale.

Lake County Sheriff Don Bell says emergency dispatchers received a report of a disturbance involving a man with a gun at 9:08 p.m.
A short time later, an additional caller reported being shot by the male.

Both Flathead County Sheriff's Office and Lake County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the scene.

Flathead deputies arrived first at the scene and took 49-year-old Matthew Vitek of Bigfork into custody.

121023 Ferndale Shooting Incident

Flathead deputies then rendered first aid to three gunshot victims at the scene prior to EMS arriving at the scene.

Once EMS arrived, the victims were taken to a local hospital and investigators were contacted to obtain a search warrant and process the crime scene.

Sheriff Bell says it was determined at the hospital that 56-year-old Tammi Jordan of Bigfork had passed away.

The identity of the other two victims is not being released, but Sheriff Bell reports they were in stable condition as of 2 a.m. on Monday, December 11, 2023.

The woman who died was taken to the Montana Medical Examiner's office for autopsy, and the case is being investigated by the Lake County Sheriff and Coroner’s Office.

Vitek is being held in the Lake County jail on pending charges of deliberate homicide and attempted deliberate homicide.

It's expected Vitek will make his first court appearance sometime this week.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help pay the medical expenses for the two people wounded in the shooting and to pay for the funeral expenses of the victim, 56-year-old Tammi Jordan. Donations can be made here.