Autopsy: Officer's shot killed BB-gun toting man

BILLINGS — An autopsy has confirmed a police officer's gunshot killed a 32-year-old Billings man who authorities say was reaching for a BB gun during a confrontation.

Yellowstone County Deputy County Coroner Chad Fehr said Tuesday that Jason Shaw died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Police say the shot was fired by Officer Grant Morrison.

Morrison confronted a combative Shaw in a residential neighborhood early Monday. He attempted to subdue Shaw with a stun gun but failed, then fired a single round after Shaw allegedly reached for a BB gun styled to look like a replica Walther P99 handgun.

A coroner's inquest will investigate if the shooting was justified.

Two other inquests are pending in Yellowstone county, including another officer-involved shooting last month and a county jail suicide.