Bill to honor slain Montana deputy advances

HELENA, Mont. — A Montana legislative committee has endorsed a proposal to name a portion of a highway in Broadwater County in honor of a deputy slain there in shootout last year.

House Bill 156 would establish the Mason Moore Memorial Highway with signage at mile marker 109 on U.S. 287, where Moore died in the line of duty on May 16, 2017, near Three Forks.

The House Transportation Committee approved the measure Monday after hearing emotional testimony from Moore's wife, Jodi.

Prosecutors believe Moore was killed by a father and son who set out on a "suicide mission" to engage police in a gunfight. The son was later shot to death by other officers, while the father is facing a charge of accessory to deliberate homicide.