- A Montana man convicted of a hate crime and firearm charge has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
- He was on a "self-described mission" to rid his town of LGBTQ-identifying people, the DOJ said.
A Montana man has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for shooting into a lesbian woman's home while trying to rid his town of LGBTQ residents.
John Russell Howald was convicted of a hate crime and firearm charge on February 17, 2023, in relation to the March 2020 incident.
Armed with two assault rifles, a hunting rifle, two pistols, and multiple high-capacity magazines that were taped together to speed reloading, Howald went to the house of the woman, the Department of Justice said in a press release.
He was on a "self-described mission" to eliminate all LGBTQ-identifying people from Basin, Montana, it said.
Howald used an AK-style rifle to fire multiple shots into the property while the unnamed woman was at home, with one round going through the walls and several others hitting her porch and yard, according to the DOJ.
The woman was not hit.
His goal was to inspire similar attacks around the country, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in the press release.
Howald then walked around the town, which has a population of about 250 people, approaching other homes belonging to gay, lesbian, and queer Basin residents, the DOJ said.
Local residents spotted Howald on their way out of a church and stalled him while they waited for a sheriff's deputy to arrive, according to the DOJ.
The pastor of the church recorded Howald firing more rounds and yelling about wanting to "clean" gay and lesbian residents from Basin.
When law enforcement arrived, he aimed his rifle at an officer, nearly initiating a shootout, before escaping into nearby hills, according to the DOJ.
He was arrested the following day.
Officers found Howald armed with a loaded pistol, a knife and an AR-style rifle and a revolver in his car. They also discovered an AK-style rifle, hunting rifle, and ammunition in his camper, the DOJ said.
"The unfortunate reality is bigotry and hate exist in our communities," Cheyvoryea Gibson, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Salt Lake City field office, said in the press release.
"Still, as a diverse nation, we will not tolerate violence motivated by such bias," Gibson added.
Howald was previously convicted in 2006 of one charge of cruelty to animals, after he shot a Labrador, beheaded it at a public campsite, and threw its remains at its owners, according to Law & Crime.