Libby man charged with Christmas shooting of brother
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
January 2, 2009
A 35-year-old Libby man was arrested early Christmas Day on charges of attempted deliberate homicide and criminal endangerment after a scuffle between brothers escalated to gunplay.
Kolby Zugg is charged with shooting his brother Austin, 32, once in the abdomen with a .40-caliber pistol. The shooting occurred around 1 a.m. on Dec. 25 at the Zugg family residence off Highway 2 south of Libby.
The dispatcher at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a man believed to have been Kolby Zugg at 1:57 a.m., said LCSO Detective Capt. Jim Sweet. The caller said he needed help, but hung up before the dispatcher could get more information, Sweet said.
"In the background, they could hear fighting and lots of yelling," he said.
The dispatcher tried unsuccessfully to call back, and three minutes later a second 911 call came in with a woman reporting that a domestic dispute was in progress between two brothers. The caller initially said there were no weapons involved, but later said she had "lied" and that there was a gun involved and that "Kolby shot Austin," according to dispatch records.
Sweet said it’s believed that three shots – one of which hit Austin Zugg – were fired, either during or just prior to the second 911 call.
"It wasn’t audible in the 911 call at this point that we can tell," Sweet said.
Both Kolby and Austin Zugg were transported by Libby Volunteer Ambulance to St. John’s Lutheran Hospital. Austin went immediately into surgery, Sweet said, and Kolby was treated and released into police custody. He remained in the county jail on Monday morning; bail had not yet been set.
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Editor’s Note: See the December 30, 2008 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, now on Tuesday, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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