Officer-involved · Inquest not yet held
Harlem critical incident
Harlem · Blaine
September 24–25, 2026
What was published
The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation says Blaine County deputies were called at about 11:17 a.m. on September 24 to a disturbance. The caller identified 38-year-old Jordan Alexander Werk and reported that he claimed to be armed with a rifle, with her mother inside. Werk would not confirm the woman’s safety. Deputies obtained a search warrant and an arrest warrant and called in tactical teams, including the Central Montana High Risk Unit and Billings Police SWAT. At about 1:30 a.m. on September 25, after less-lethal force was used, DCI says Werk partly left the residence and an exchange of gunfire followed. Werk was pronounced dead at the scene. Two tactical officers had minor injuries. DCI says officers then found the woman dead inside. She is not named in the release.
Where it stands
DCI’s September 25, 2026 release says the investigation is active and that a coroner’s inquest will be held when it ends, as state law requires.
Does not establish
Do not treat the press release as a verdict on who fired which shot, or as an identification of the woman. The street address is in the DCI release; this ledger does not repeat it.
Sources
- DCI release, Harlem officer-involved critical incidentMontana Department of Justice
Published September 25, 2026.