Updated 2 p.m. with details from the initial court appearance and at 3:40 p.m. July 14 with details from Malmstrom 

Ryan Nguyen, 19, has been charged with negligent homicide for the early morning death in the Target parking lot on July 13.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $50,000.

According to charging documents, 911 dispatchers received a call around 2:30 a.m. of a male with a gunshot wound to the head in the Target parking lot and when officers arrived they identified the deceased as Jackson Molnar, who was on the ground between two of three vehicles parked there.

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Officers talked to Nguyen, Tyler Brigham, Maiyha Gutierrez, and John Rattlingtail who were outside of the vehicles.

“Nguyen made utterances that he shot Molnar,” according to court documents, and indicated that Molar wanted to see his gun.

Nguyen told officers that he was holding onto the gun and he was going to clear it when Molnar grabbed onto the
slide of the gun and pulled it towards himself. while Nguyen’s finger was inside of the trigger guard and the gun went off and shot Molnar, according to court documents.

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Officers observed a gunshot to Molnar’s head and a pistol in the front passenger seat of Nguyen’s vehicle, a 2005 green Infiniti G35X, bearing Montana license plate, according to court documents.

The pistol had blood on it and the hammer was cocked and officers saw a fired bullet and casing in the backseat of Rattlingtail’s vehicle, a 2003 gold Mercury Grand Marquis, as well as an unfired cartridge on the ground on the passenger side of the vehicle.

Rattlingtail had a firearm in his waistband.

Brigham’s vehicle, a 2020 gray Toyota Supra was parked next to the Grand Marquis.

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When officers arrived on scene, they found Molnar on the ground between the Infiniti and the Grand Marquis.

Nguyen and Brigham were standing on the passenger side of the Infiniti.

Rattlingtail and Gutierrez were standing at the back of the Supra.

Officers saw alcoholic beverages inside and outside of the vehicles, according to court documents, and the men were all believed to have been drinking.

Nguyen had blood on his hands and Bringham, Gutierrez and Rattlingtail had blood on their clothing, according to court documents.

In an interview with investigators, Brigham said that he, Nguyen and Molnar were sitting in the backseat of the Grand Marquis showing their guns off. Nguyen was in the middle between himself and Molnar.

Brigham said they then all holstered their guns, including Nguyen, then Molnar asked to see Nguyen’s gun and Nguyen pulled it out, raised it up, and then Molnar said again, let me see that and grabbed for the gun and that is when he heard the shot, according to court documents.

Nguyen turned to Brigham and said “I just shot Jackson,” according to what Brigham told investigators, as included in court documents.

Brigham said he and Nguyen exited together out of the back passenger side door and went around the vehicle to the side with Molnar who had fallen out of the car and called 911.

He’s currently being held in the Cascade County Adult Detention Center and will make an initial court appearance on July 14.

Malmstrom Air Force Base officials confirmed that Nguyen is an active duty airman assigned to the base.

During his initial court appearance, Racki told the court they were recommending Nguyen’s release on his own recognizance into Air Force custody and had coordinated with base officials.

Racki said those conditions included that Nguyen be confined to base, and have no alcohol or firearms.

Master Sgt. Abraham Jara, the first shirt for Nguyen’s unit, said that those conditions were acceptable to the Air Force.

Judge John Parker’s order added GPS monitoring and a condition that he was allowed to leave base for the purpose of court appearances.

Malmstrom officials told The Electric that, “in a situation where an individual is turned over to a first sergeant’s custody by the local judicial system, it is for the member to be escorted back to base. The judge will determine the stipulations on the individual’s liberties, and the individual’s unit will then ensure that all stipulations are complied with.”