Anaconda man pleads not guilty to fatal shooting at Carmel's Bar

Anaconda resident Mark Ray Lock pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County District Court to deliberate homicide for his alleged role in the June shooting death of Shane Charles, 53, an owner of Carmel’s Sports Bar & Grill.

The shooting occurred inside the East Third Street bar around 6:50 p.m. on June 20.

Lock, who is 61 but looks younger, even in striped jail garb, remains in the city-county jail on a $1 million bond. He was represented by public defender Walter Hennessey, who has also represented Michael Paul Brown, 46, accused of killing four people in Anaconda at a different bar on East Third Street.

Judge Jeffrey Dahood warned Lock that if he is able to post the requisite bond, he will be expected to comply with a host of conditions.

A search of Lock’s residence and vehicle after the shooting at Carmel’s found numerous firearms “and substantial quantities of ammunition,” according to case records. Thus, a key condition of any release on bond would be that Lock’s home would be cleared of firearms, with related verification by law enforcement, Dahood said.  

County Attorney Morgan Smith said it is her understanding that Lock has worked with a resident of the region to remove the firearms. She added that the defendant does not appear to have strong ties to the Anaconda community and could be a flight risk if released on bond.

Lock lived in the 500 block of Birch Street, an address within walking distance of Carmel’s.

Witness accounts and surveillance video from June 20 described a suspect later identified as Lock walking around Carmel’s landmark horseshoe-style bar, engaging in brief conversation with Charles.

According to court records, “Mr. Charles stood from his bar stool and was shoved by the suspect. The suspect then raised a firearm and fired one shot at Shane Charles.”

Lock allegedly shot Charles once that Saturday night with a 9mm handgun. A bystander wrestled the gun away from the man said to be Lock, who fled out the bar’s front door and then west on East Third Street.

That’s according to court records filed in June and July in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County courts.

The records show that when police arrived at Carmel’s after the shooting, “officers observed a male performing CPR and a female providing rescue breaths.” Charles was rushed to the Community Hospital of Anaconda but did not survive.

Witnesses provided a description of the shooter to police, records show. A bystander who pursued the suspect told police they lost sight of him in the 500 block of Birch Street.

Police formed a perimeter in the vicinity. Officers Aric Strutzel and Julian Gomez encountered a man matching the suspect’s description driving a Honda Civic in their direction in the alley for the 500 block between Chestnut and Birch streets.

Records show they asked whether he had been at Carmel’s and that he replied he had not. When they asked additional questions, Lock reportedly asked for a lawyer. The officers detained him.

Det. Sgt. Eamon confirmed that this suspect, who turned out to be Lock, matched the man captured on surveillance video in the bar who allegedly shot Charles, records show.

When Lock was told he was being charged with deliberate homicide, he reportedly said, “You mean that guy is dead?” and placed his head in his hands, records show. Search warrants were executed for Lock’s home and vehicle and for Carmel’s.

“Upon search of Mr. Lock’s vehicle, officers located two 9 mm magazines in the driver’s-side door panel and a loaded 9 mm firearm hidden beneath a flannel shirt on the passenger seat,” court records show. At Lock’s residence, officers found “numerous additional firearms and substantial quantities of ammunition of various calibers,” records show.

Court records identify the handgun allegedly used by Lock at Carmel’s as a Springfield Armory Hellcat, which the manufacturer describes as “the world’s highest-capacity, micro-compact” handgun, with “a slim profile for enhanced concealability.”

Carmel’s Sports Bar & Grill has remained closed since the shooting.

Carmel’s' website notes that Shane and Tamara Charles purchased the bar in December 2023. It reports that Shane was born in Deer Lodge but raised in Anaconda, and that he and Tamara have four daughters.

The Owl Bar, a few blocks east of Carmel’s on Third Street, was another streetcar stop when the smelter was operating. On the morning of Aug. 1, 2025, four people, including the bartender and three patrons, were shot and killed in the bar.

Michael Paul Brown, now 46, the Owl Bar’s next-door neighbor, was identified as the suspected shooter and subsequently charged with four counts of deliberate homicide and other charges. Brown’s case is ongoing, with mental health evaluations and treatment at Montana State Hospital.  

The penalty for deliberate homicide, a felony, can include death, life in prison or imprisonment in a state prison for not less than 10 years or more than 100 years.

On Wednesday, Judge Dahood set an omnibus hearing for Lock’s case in August and a trial date in December.