UPDATE: The Billings ER Shooting Incident, Not a Woman

Just Google search the story about the Billings police shooting and a hospital emergency room in Billings. "Billings officer shot woman" was in the Billings Gazette headline. KTVQ television, the CBS affiliate, had a headline "Woman at Billings Clinic ER shot herself before she was shot by officer."

There's just one big problem with that news. It wasn't a woman. The shooting incident involved a man who identifies as a woman. I had a tipster send me that info Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday morning a spokesman with the Billings Police Department confirmed to me via email that the incident involved a male who identifies as a woman.

Do facts matter? Of course they do. Does it matter to public perception if the incident involved a man or a woman? Of course it does.

Here's the original story reported on our radio station websites following the initial press release.

On October 16, 2022 at 5:11PM Billings Police Department Officers responded to a weapons complaint at Billings Clinic Hospital. The complaint stated there was an individual in the emergency department with a “loaded gun” threatening to shoot herself.

Officers responded within minutes and an initial team of four (4) Officers entered the emergency department. As Officers entered the hospital one (1) round was fired from the suspect. Officers made contact with the individual in the triage area of the emergency department and the individual had sustained a single self-inflicted gunshot wound. Upon making contact the individual then picked up the handgun, ignoring commands to stop.