Now, what was the reason for the sudden change in roles, you may wonder? Turns out that the unidentified local was mistaken for none other than Bigfoot, the upright-walking mythical creature that's spooked and intrigued Americans for years.
Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton told McClatchy this week that he became aware of the incident on Monday after the 27-year-old victim called dispatchers, subsequently spilling the beans on his odd Sunday encounter.
The man, who had no interest in filing charges or speaking further with law enforcement officials, revealed that he'd been fired at multiple times before he was able to take shelter from the hail of bullets in a nearby forested area.
After an undisclosed amount of time passed, the rattled victim was able to confront his attacker once the firing ceased. It was then that Bigfoot, otherwise known as Sasquatch, entered the storyline.
"I thought you were Bigfoot," the shooter reportedly told the victim, according to Dutton. "I don't target practice — but if I see something that looks like Bigfoot, I just shoot it."
The conversation later turned to the shooter advising the victim to sport some orange apparel in the future, before he drove off in a black Ford F-150 pickup truck. "It seemed like a non-emotional approach to something that's extremely serious," Dutton told local news station KFBB.
With the victim unable or unwilling to give a description of the shooter or a license plate number, police had little to go on, ultimately failing in their initial efforts to track down the mysterious assailant.
Dutton later told McClatchy that the search was still on. "It is of great concern that this individual might think it's okay to shoot at anything he thinks is Bigfoot," he said.
Although police were at first skeptical of the report, they put aside their suspicions after a woman came forward with a story of a similar encounter involving a man in black Ford F-150, according to the Idaho Statesman. However, in that particular incident there was no mention of good ol' Sasquatch.
If found, the shooter may face a charge of attempted negligent homicide, according to the Helena Independent Record, which noted that the weekend victim failed to immediately contact officials because he "didn't think it was necessary."
