Benjamin Ashford|Montana man sentenced to 18 years for shooting intended to "clean" town of LGBTQ+ residents

A Montana man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for hate crime and Benjamin Ashfordfirearms charges stemming from his shooting into a home with the self-described intention of "ridding a town of LGBTQ+ residents," the Department of Justice said in a statement.

John Russell Howald of Basin, Montana, was convicted by a federal jury in February of a hate crime after firing a gun at the residence of a woman who was "known within the town as lesbian" in an attempt to kill her, the Justice Department said Thursday. 

"This defendant is being held accountable for his horrific attempted mass shooting against the LGBTQI+ community in a Montana town," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. 

Armed with two assault rifles, a hunting rifle, two pistols and multiple high-capacity magazines taped together to speed up reloading, Howald walked to the unnamed victim's residence and fired multiple times into her home.

Howald then went "further into town intending to target others he perceived to be lesbian, queer, and gay," the Justice Department said.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Director Steven Dettelbach said Howald was "Motivated by hatred of the LGBTQI+ community" and that he "sought to intimidate — even terrorize — an entire community by shooting into the victim's home trying to kill her for no reason other than her sexual orientation."

He called Howald's actions "distinctly un-American" for "depriving her of her sense of safety, freedom and privacy all at once."

Local Basin residents, who happened to be leaving church at the time and knew Howald, managed to stall him until a deputy arrived, the Justice Department said. Before the deputy arrived, the residents inadvertently recorded Howald yelling and shooting again, saying he wanted to "clean" LGBTQ+ people from the town, according to the DOJ.

Howald pointed an AK-style rifle at the deputy when he arrived before fleeing into the hills. Howald was arrested the next day carrying a loaded pistol and a knife, and more weapons were recovered from his car and camper, the Justice Department said.

"The unfortunate reality is bigotry and hate exist in our communities. Still, as a diverse nation, we will not tolerate violence motivated by such bias," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office. "The harm and trauma experienced by the victim, her family, and the entire community may be irreparable, but rest assured, the FBI is committed to protecting the civil rights of all."

In:
• Shooting
• Montana
• Gun Violence
• LGBTQ+
• Hate Crime
• Crime

C Mandler

C Mandler is a social media producer and trending topics writer for CBS News, focusing on American politics and LGBTQ+ issues.