Shooting in north Lincoln County
Eureka Dispatch received a call Wednesday evening from a young woman who had been shot and was fleeing from her assailant.
Hadassah Pereslete, age 23, and Tyler Wilson, were reportedly shot by Michael Ilk, Pereslete’s ex-boyfriend. At the time she made the call, Ilk was chasing the victims as they drove toward Eureka from the Eureka Hill subdivision.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Pereslete and the 27-year-old Wilson, her coworker, had just finished the day working on a home being built in a new subdivision at roughly 8 p.m. Ilk arrived in a Dodge pickup and saw the two together and began shooting at them with a 9mm handgun. Pereslete and Wilson fled the scene in Wilson’s vehicle with the only way out forcing them to drive past Ilk.
Ilk continued shooting at them as they drove by, firing 14 rounds at the victims. They both sustained two gunshot wounds in the process with Perselete hit in the leg and arm and Wilson shot in arm and hand.
Two shots entered the windshield and two entered the driver’s side window.
Officers responded south on U.S. Highway 93 and intercepted the vehicles heading north near Dewey Avenue and 6th Street. Officers attempted to pull over Ilk while the victims continued to the Law Enforcement Center.
However, Ilk refused to pull over and continued following the victim’s vehicle into the Law Enforcement Center parking lot. Officer Ian Jeffcock ordered Ilk out of his vehicle at gunpoint and arrested him without further incident.
The officers who arrived on scene began rendering medical aid to both victims.
Officers were able to control bleeding by applying multiple tourniquets to both victims before Eureka Ambulance arrived on scene.
“The officers that responded did a great job of getting the bleeding to stop,” Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe said. “They applied pressure until they could get more advanced medical care.”
An ALERT helicopter responded from Kalispell and transported the woman to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. The wounded man was transported by Eureka Ambulance to Point of Rocks and then transferred to Flathead Advanced Life Support ambulance. Both victims are currently at Kalispell Regional Medical Center recovering from non-life threatening injuries.
“We’re just really, really fortunate that we didn’t have two young people lose their lives,” Bowe said. “It appears they will be able to recover from their injuries.”
The suspected shooter, Michael Ilk, is a 40-year old man from Alberta, Canada. He is currently being held at the Lincoln County Detention Center in Libby on two counts of assault with a weapon. He is being charged for violation of Montana Code Annotated 45-5-213, which carries a fine of up to $50,000 and/or imprisonment of 20 years.
Ilk’s bond has been set at $1,000,000 by Justice of the Peace Jay Sheffield.
The investigation is still ongoing.