What Does Tonight’s Downtown Gun Incident Mean For “Public Safety”? – by Travis Mateer

I’ve had a few new commenters recently but the one I’m thinking of after the shooting tonight in downtown Missoula is the one who inquired what kind of retard I am. Why? Because the post, as the title indicates—“The Real Dynamics Behind The “Emerging Issue” Of Youth Gang Activity”—is about gang activity in Missoula and how the narrative around “gangs” needs to be carefully controlled, lest we spook the golden college geese and lucrative tourist trade. 

To answer “reno’s” question, I’m the type of retard who goes TOWARD the shelter in place rope-off zone because I wanted to see for myself how Missoula’s version of the wild west turned the Tuesday before Thanksgiving into a two-block crime scene. I wonder if any visiting tourists were out for a brisk stroll around 7:30pm-8:00pm when gunshots rang out by the parking garage? Not a good look.

While I can’t say at this point that the Griz losing their football game had anything to do with the shooting, I certainly CAN (and did) crack a joke at the Rhino insinuating someone didn’t appreciate losing. Maybe I still had Ty Gregorak on the brain—the former Griz football coach who got fired from his UNLV coaching job after stealing a bouncer’s gun and wallet in Colorado. Go Griz!

The comment on Facebook that most specifically describes the incident that occurred tonight is from Tim Christensen. Here’s a screenshot:

Earlier this month, on November 15th, another gun incident allegedly occurred, but this was just a brandishing. Here’s how KGVO reported this incident:

On November 15, 2025, Missoula Police Department officers were dispatched to Pie Hole for a report of intimidation. Officers were informed by dispatch that a 911 call had been placed by an individual who reported a male in a black truck had pulled a pistol on people and had left.

Upon arrival, an officer observed approximately 20 people within the restaurant. The officer received information that the disturbance involved two females. The officer recognized one of the females, P.G., and spoke with her. The other officer spoke with the other female, Z.G.

P.G. stated a male she knew, 29-year-old Robert Zawlocki, was involved in some disturbance at Pie Hole with her three male friends. P.G. stated the disturbance occurred outside on the sidewalk in front of the business. P.G. said that once the males separated from each other, Robert walked eastbound across Higgins Ave., where his black truck was parked. Robert then pulled out a black handgun and pointed it at P.G., Z.G., and the crowd of people inside the Pie Hole.

And here is how I framed the KGVO reporting on X:

What does this mean for public safety? If the public remains largely ignorant of street violence, tonight’s shooting won’t mean anything, and that will be good for those who understand how much is riding on the major development coming to save the lagging Missoula tax base from deficits and TIF remittances. This is why the public MUST be protected from reality.

Thanks for reading!