Bozeman Homicide: What We Know

Video · 2:28 · Watch on YouTube

Bozeman homicide: what we know. Shelli Waltemath, 50, of Gallatin Gateway, Montana, died after a shooting at a Bozeman business on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, police say. The man police identified as the primary suspect was found dead the next morning. No charges were filed. Police have not said why it happened.

What's confirmed

1. Wed., Oct. 14, 2026, 3:56 p.m.officers were called to a business near West Main Street and Professional Drive after a report that CPR was being performed on a woman who may have hit her head in a fall. Explore Big Sky; 560 KMON; NBC Montana
2. Officers determined she had been shot. Police say she had multiple gunshot wounds and had died. KBZK; Explore Big Sky; Montana Right Now; NBC Montana
3. Police identified her as Shelli Waltemath, 50, of Gallatin Gateway. Her name was withheld until the Gallatin County Coroner's Office could notify her family. KBZK; NBC Montana; Montana Right Now
4. Detectives worked overnight. Police say items left at the scene pointed to a primary suspect. KBZK; Explore Big Sky
5. Thu., Oct. 15, about 6:29 a.m.a man was reported dead in a field near West College Street. Police identified him as the primary suspect and say he appears to have died by suicide. Explore Big Sky; Montana Right Now; NBC Montana; KBZK
6. No charges were filed. Police say there is no ongoing threat to the community. KBZK; NBC Montana
7. We are not naming the man police identified. He was never charged or convicted.

What we don't know

• Why it happened. Police Chief Jim Veltkamp told KBZK: "We still don't have a motive, and detectives are still trying to figure out the connection between the suspect and the victim."
• How the two were connected. Police have not said.
• The name of the business. Police have not released it.

What happens next

No court case is expected, because no one was charged. Updates depend on what the Bozeman Police Department and the Gallatin County Coroner's Office release; no date has been given. We will update this write-up if they do.

Chapters

1. 0:00Bozeman homicide: what we know
2. 0:16Bozeman shooting: the 911 call
3. 0:33Shelli Waltemath: what police found
4. 0:57Bozeman suspect found dead: Thursday
5. 1:30Bozeman homicide: motive still open
6. 1:52Bozeman homicide: where it stands

Sources

1. Explore Big Sky, "Bozeman police investigate fatal shooting; suspect found dead," Oct. 15, 2026 Reportingexplorebigsky.com/bozeman-police-investigate-fatal-shooting-suspect-found-dead/174796
2. KBZK, "Bozeman police chief sheds light on woman fatally shot, suspect found dead" Reportingkbzk.com/neighborhood-news/bozeman/bozeman-police-chief-sheds-light-on-woman-fatally-shot-suspect-found-dead
3. Montana Right Now, "Bozeman homicide suspect found dead, victim identified," Oct. 15, 2026 Reportingmontanarightnow.com/top-story/bozeman-homicide-suspect-found-dead-victim-identified/article_0d5edd83-63e3-46b9-b616-45325df43b05.html
4. NBC Montana, "Police identify suspect, victim in Bozeman homicide case"
5. 560 KMON, "Bozeman Police Investigate Shooting Death On W Main Street"

Spot an error? Email corrections@undercurrentdaily.com. See our corrections policy. Have information about this case? Contact the investigating agency first.

Part of What We Know: open cases, confirmed facts only · YouTube playlist