Montana man sentenced to 18 years for targeting LGBTQ community in shooting.
John Howald, a Montana man who fired an AK-style rifle at the home of a lesbian woman and said he wanted to “get rid of” gay people in his small town, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for a hate crime and discharging a firearm during a hate crime. Howald had two assault rifles, a hunting rifle, two pistols, and high-capacity magazines that had been taped together for faster reloading on the day of the shooting. He fired 11 shots into the woman's home and fired five more in the middle of town while arguing with residents who were trying to get him to stop.