Chief says attack wasn’t random

Police are investigating the brutal assault of a Powell man at his South Clark Street home on early Tuesday morning.

A 41-year-old man suffered broken bones and head injuries in the apparent break-in and attack, said Powell Police Chief Tim Feathers.

“The investigation is indicating that the motive was robbery. It is also indicating that this victim was a specific target,” Feathers said Wednesday. “There’s nothing here that would indicate that citizens need to fear home invasions, things like this.”

With the ongoing investigation in its early stages, Feathers would not release any detailed information about the incident, including whether any suspects had been identified, why police think this man was targeted and what, if anything, was stolen.

A neighbor called police around 2:41 a.m. Tuesday to report what sounded like someone screaming for help in the 400 block of South Clark Street. Soon after that, the injured man called police himself, saying the men had left, Feathers said.

The victim told responding officers that three men he didn’t recognize had broken into his house and attacked him with a blunt object, Feathers said. The chief said a door of the home had damage consistent with a break-in.

Feathers said the man was taken by helicopter to a Billings hospital after the assault. He did not identify the man, and he didn’t know the man’s condition on Wednesday.