Officials ID Kila man shot dead in shootout

Officials have ID’d the Kila man shot and killed by Flathead County law enforcement officers during a standoff Sunday evening.

Anthony D. Grove, 52, was identified by officials Tuesday afternoon as the man who fired a gun at Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies and members of the county SWAT team, which included county and Kalispell Police Department officers.

The incident began Sunday evening around 7 p.m., according to Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino, when Flathead County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a residence on Rogers Lake Road between Kila and Marion for a report of a disturbance with a weapon.

Shots were fired from an occupant in the home when deputies arrived on the scene, and a SWAT team was called to assist in the standoff.

After a few hours the subject fired at officers and officers returned fire, Heino said.

The subject was pronounced dead at the scene and no officers sustained injuries during the incident.

According to Heino, three law enforcement officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave at this time. The Missoula County Sheriffs Office has responded to investigate the incident along with a coroner from Lake County.

Court documents indicate Grove was sued twice in the last 11 years.

In the first suit, filed in February 2009, Grove and his wife were sued by a Missoula collection agency for failing to pay a hospital bill in the amount of $7,962 after he received treatment at Kalispell Regional Medical Center in 2006.

After failing to reply to the suit, Grove and his wife were ordered to pay $9,980, which included interest and other costs.

Another court document indicated the couple was granted a discharge in 2014 after filing for bankruptcy.

In the second suit, filed in July 2018, an employee of a grocery store in Evergreen sued Grove and his employer Chase Investigations, LLC and Timothy Love.

The suit alleged Grove was an employee and agent of Chase Investigations, based in Hope, Idaho. The grocery store, Super One Foods, contracted the agency to provide asset protection.

The complaint alleged on Nov. 17, 2017, the store employee was on a break from his shift at Super One Foods.

Grove allegedly accused the victim of stealing food from the store, grabbed him by the shirt and was physically aggressive with the victim.

When the plaintiff tried to walk away, Grove allegedly tackled the man and forcibly detained him.

The suit alleged the victim suffered injuries to his left foot and right wrist.

The suit accused Chase Investigations of negligent supervision and liable for the conduct of Grove. It also accused Grove of negligence, negligent assault, false imprisonment and intentional assault.

The suit asserted Love was the director and/or president of Chase Investigations, LLC, and he operated it in bad faith when he didn’t insure the corporation and failed to properly train and supervise employees.

The victim sought money damages to pay for his medical bills, compensation for pain and suffering and for loss of income and impairment of his ability to earn income in the future.

Then, in December 2018, a Flathead County District Court judge ordered a default judgment against Chase Investigations and Timothy Love for $263,062.38 after they failed to to plead or defend themselves in court.