THREE FORKS - Dozens gathered at the Trooper David DeLaittre Memorial Park in Three Forks, to remember Montana servicemen who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
On December 1st, 2010, David Delaittre conducted a traffic stop. DeLaittre was shot and killed after checking on the parked car. His father, Denny DeLaittre, established a memorial park to serve as a reminder to the community.
Trooper DeLaittre served with MHP for two years. He was 23 years old.
Soon the park will see expansion, in the form of the ‘Mason Moore Pavilion’, in honor of Broadwater County Deputy Sheriff that was killed in 2017.
On May 16, 2017, Deputy Moore was struck with a bullet while attempting to stop Lloyd Barrus and his son Marshall near Three Forks on Highway 287. Moore came to a stop a few miles south of the I-90 interchange. Prosecutors alleged Lloyd Barrus then pulled up alongside Deputy Moore’s vehicle where his son fired a dozen more shots at the deputy. Law enforcement pursued the two men for nearly 150 miles. The chase ended on Interstate 90 near Missoula. Marshall Barrus was killed in a shootout with officers.
“Deputy Mason Moore was a friend…the pavilion will be completed, hopefully, next summer or earlier,” DeLaittre said.
Every year, on the first of December, members of the Montana Highway Patrol and the community gather at the memorial park. Attorney General Austin Knudsen was in attendance and highlights the importance of honoring our servicemen.
“Our Law Enforcement Officers that put their lives at risk every single day in Montana. They’re out defending our highways, our towns,” Knudsen said.
Colonel Steve Lavin remembers when DeLaittre was shot and killed and notes the disastrous nature of that night.
“You get in that mode of investigation to find that perpetrator…and then you go through those stages, you know, and here we are celebrating his life and his service to the state of Montana,” Lavin said.
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