Charges: Montrose man gripped his gun for many minutes while hit by deputy gunfire, nonlethal rounds

The armed man who held sheriff’s deputies at bay and pointed a weapon at them outside a Wright County store two weeks ago kept a grip on his handgun despite being shot at least twice and struck multiple times by nonlethal rounds until his arrest, according to charges filed Monday.

The criminal complaint filed in Wright County District Court also said that Matthew T. Lyrek, 36, of Montrose had four guns with him at the scene, and a law enforcement search of his home nearby turned up five more firearms and “an arsenal of ammunition” totaling nearly 30,000 rounds.

Lyrek, who had various warrants for his arrest at the time of the shooting, was charged with four counts of first-degree assault, one count each of obstructing law enforcement and two gross misdemeanors involving illegal weapons possession.

After being treated at a hospital for his wounds, Lyrek appeared in court Monday, and he remains jailed in lieu of $2 million bail. He’s due back in court on May 13. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

Seven deputies used some form of force against Lyrek, the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said. The agency identified the deputy who wounded Lyrek with gunfire as Andrew Lundeen, who has eight years of law enforcement experience.

Once the BCA finishes its investigation, the findings will be forwarded to the Wright County Attorney’s Office without recommendation for review to consider whether the deputies’ actions were legally justified.

While the BCA is leading the investigation, the County Attorney’s Office in an unusually lengthy narrative — more than 1,600 words — offers the most specific details about the encounter in its criminal complaint:

After Lyrek left the store and approached his pickup truck, two deputies came up to the vehicle on the driver’s side, and Lundeen shouted to Lyrek that he was under arrest. Deputy William Kenyon saw Lyrek turn in his direction as he raised a gun in his right hand. Kenyon fired his Taser, and the probes sent Lyrek falling backward.

Lyrek then pointed the gun at all three officers. Lundeen shot Lyrek as did another deputy. Lyrek kept his grip on his gun despite being wounded outside his pickup and while defying orders to drop the weapon.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Jason Oltmanns arrived and saw Lyrek refusing to let go of the gun and surrender. Oltmanns fired a .40-millimeter foam projectile that struck Lyrek near his hip. Seeing that Lysek was pointing the gun at him and Lundeen from close range, Oltmanns fired two more foam rounds that hit Lyrek.

Oltmanns then fired numerous bean-bag rounds at Lyrek, who remained armed and non-compliant with law enforcement despite sustaining a gunshot wound to the abdomen and another to the middle of his back.

Around 1:07 p.m., Lyrek dropped the handgun, but it remained near him. As deputies behind shields drew near Lyrek, Oltmanns stepped on the gun as the arrest was made. As Lyrek was being handcuffed, Oltmanns saw a gun in the rear of Lyrek’s waistband.

One deputy was on the scene undercover, and their identity cannot be released. The other deputies involved in the incident have law enforcement experience ranging from six to 32 years and were identified as Matthew Bilitz, Heath Gilliham, Kenyon, Jeff McMackins and Oltmanns.

A search warrant affidavit filed by the Wright County Sheriff’s Office on April 17 revealed that Lyrek was in an armed standoff with deputies at his home in January 2023 that ended with the deputies leaving and his wife later filing a restraining order against him.