Hungry Horse man dies after gunshot to face

Death of 2-year-old Coram girl 'suspicious'

By CHRIS PETERSONHungry Horse News

A Hungry Horse man who accidentally shot himself Tuesday died Wednesday evening.

Flathead County Sheriff Mike Meehan said the death of Tyson Armijo, 22, has been officially ruled accidental.

Armijo was moving guns from the First Avenue South home of Billy Don Cummings, 48, in Hungry Horse when he slipped on snow and ice while carrying a sawed-off .22 caliber rifle.

The gun went off and shot Armijo just below the right eye. The bullet did not exit his skull, Meehan said.

During the investigation, deputies discovered that Cummings was wanted on charges of allgedly sexually abusing a minor out of Bonner County, Idaho.

The Sheriff's Department SWAT team descended on Cummings' home Wednesday night and Cummings surrendered peacefully.

Cummings also faces possible charges of identity theft for using a dead man's name to avoid debt. Meehan declined to give the dead man's name.

Meehan said the entire gun situation is still being investigated. Armijo went to Cummings' house to get the guns with his mother. After the accident, deputies removed two standard revolvers and two percussion cap pistols from the Jeep his mother was driving.

The sawed-off rifle is an illegal weapon and the Bureau Of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms is investigating that aspect of the incident, Meehan said Friday.

In the photo, Armijo is loaded into the ALERT helicopter on Tuesday. (Chris Peterson photo)

Death of 2-year-old Coram girl 'suspicious'

Flathead County Sheriff Mike Meehan said his department is investigating the suspicious death of a 2-year-old Coram girl.

Meehan did not immediately release details on the incident. He said the girl was flown to Kalispell Regional Medical Center where she died at the hospital.

Her body has been transported to the State Crime Lab for further analysis. The initial call came in as a child not breathing at a residence on Wagner Road.