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Whitefish man shot in robbery west of Kalispell

by Richard Hanners Whitefish Pilot
| December 10, 2009 10:00 PM

A 26-year-old Whitefish man with multiple gunshot wounds who was dropped off at Kalispell Regional Medical Center on Saturday, Dec. 5, has been linked to a robbery on West Springcreek Road, west of Kalispell.

Flathead County Sheriff's Deputies identified Bryan Schloss as the shooting victim. Sheriff's Det. Ray Young said Schloss had been shot three to five times, with wounds to his abdomen and jaw. He was listed in stable condition on Tuesday. Schloss shared a residence with another man on Lupfer Avenue in Whitefish.

Whitefish police have arrested Bo Hanger, 27, of Kalispell, the man who allegedly dropped Hanger off at the hospital at about 2:20 p.m. He drove away without talking to hospital personnel. Hanger has been charged with robbery and is in the Flathead County Detention Center.

Young said Schloss, Hanger and a third unidentified man were allegedly in a vehicle west of Kalispell at the time of the shooting. Detectives are trying to track down the third man for questioning.

Sheriff Mike Meehan said it's believed the shooting followed a dispute over drugs between Hanger and Schloss, who are friends, and the third person. Meehan said it's possible Schloss or Hanger fired a weapon, and the third man may have been hit.

Flathead County Search and Rescue personnel searched the West Springcreek Road area and found a gun on the ground. The Sheriff's Office had obtained a search warrant and were searching the blue 2000 Honda SUV that Hanger was driving.

Meehan asked the public to help locate the third man. He is described as white, six feet tall and in his mid-20s. Anyone with information on the man is requested to call the Sheriff's Office at 758-5585.

Both Schloss and Hanger have had run-ins with local police. According to court records, Schloss was arrested by Whitefish police at Casey's Bar on Nov. 1 at about 1 a.m. and charged with assault. He was also charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle on Nov. 10. Both cases are pending in Whitefish Municipal Court.

Hanger, formerly of Whitefish, was arrested by Whitefish police following a report of a fight at the Great Northern Bar on Dec. 16, 2006, at about 1:30 a.m. On March 6, 2007, Whitefish Municipal Court dismissed charges of resisting arrest and possession of dangerous drugs, and Hanger pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia and disorderly conduct.