February 3, 2005
 

A Thompson Falls man shot another man multiple times with a handgun early Wednesday morning, then shot and killed himself at a Plains residence, law officers in Sanders County said.

The shooter, after seven rounds, turned the gun on himself and committed suicide, according to Plains Police Chief Shawn Emmett, who is handling the investigation.

Remarkably, the victim, Marvin Burrell, 28, of Plains, survived as many as seven gunshot wounds. Burrell worked for a local concrete company, the police chief said.

The dead man was identified as Keith Wood, 31, of Thompson Falls, who was employed at Spring Creek Lodge, a residential academy for troubled youth west of Thompson Falls.

The handgun was a .40-caliber Glock semi-automatic pistol.

Sanders County Sheriff Gene Arnold said Burrell was taken to Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains where he was treated and "stabilized." He was then transported to St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula where he was listed in serious condition Wednesday night.

Burrell had multiple surgeries, but appears to be recovering, said Emmett, who noted that Burrell suffered gunshot wounds to his chest, arms and legs.

The shooting occurred about 2:15 a.m. at a duplex in Plains. Four people were in the rental unit. Neither Wood nor Burrell lived there.

Wood's body was taken to the state Crime Lab in Missoula for an autopsy. Investigation into motive is ongoing.

The two men were not close friends or acquaintances, Emmett said.

Officers were called to the scene immediately after the shooting by others at the apartment. Further details were not immediately available.