BOZEMAN — A coroner's jury determined Friday that the death of a Bozeman man following a police standoff in 2024 was a suicide.
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The jury determined that Christian Connolly did not die by criminal means after officers fired multiple non-lethal projectiles into his home, including tear gas and flash-bang devices.
The jury in the coroner's inquest presided by Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Coroner Jessie Sather also noted concerns that law enforcement escalated the situation too quickly for a mental health crisis and felt the situation could have been handled better.
Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell began the inquest at the Gallatin County Justice Center by greeting the jury and explaining the case.
On Dec. 3, 2024, Bozeman police responded to a local Chipotle after receiving reports of a man attempting to start a fight over food portions.
Officers later located the man, identified as Connolly, at his home. Connolly was suspected of having a gun and refused to cooperate with law enforcement, leading to a lengthy standoff involving tear gas, flash-bang devices, crisis negotiators and regional response teams.
After about 27 hours, officers entered the residence and found Connolly dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
During the inquest, the jury listened to the initial phone call to police from Chipotle.
Jurors also watched about an hour and 20 minutes of police footage covering the standoff, beginning at Chipotle and continuing as officers arrived at Connolly’s home and repeatedly asked him to come outside.
Body camera footage showed negotiations during the 27-hour standoff, with Connolly on the other end of a phone call mentioning mental health concerns multiple times.
Police footage also showed large amounts of tear gas, multiple flash-bang devices and a fire hose being used during the standoff. At the end of the footage, Connolly’s body could be seen inside the home.
After the jury watched the police footage, Cromwell and Chief Deputy County Attorney Edward Hebb questioned several witnesses, including Bozeman police officers who worked during the standoff and members of special response teams.
A pathologist who performed an autopsy on Connolly’s body also took the witness stand.
“What did you see?” Hebb asked.
“Gunshot wound to the head,” the pathologist responded.
The death was ruled a suicide.
The final witness was an agent with the Montana Department of Criminal Investigation, who spoke about the agency’s external investigation.
Related: Coroner’s inquest set nearly 2 years after deadly 27-hour Bozeman standoff: A look back
