Jewish Man Shoots Bartender Over Clamato Cocktail
A Jewish man from Montana was charged with attempted murder for shooting a bartender who served him a non-kosher drink.
Monte Leon Hanson, 59, allegedly shot Joe Lewis, who is also his neighbor, and killed Lewis’ dog the morning after the bartender made Hanson a red beer — beer and tomato juice — at his Hamilton bar using the Clamato tomato drink rather than tomato juice.
One of the ingredients in Clamato is clam broth, which is non-kosher as it is made with shellfish.
When Hanson learned the drink was made with Clamato he became angry, saying it was against his religion, according to the affidavit, The Missoulian reported.
Early the next morning, on May 9, Hanson reportedly followed Lewis when he left their apartment building to take out his dog. Another neighbor then heard four to six gunshots. He found Lewis holding his dog, dead from a gunshot wound to his head. Lewis also was injured from the gunshots.
Lewis had been carrying the dog, who had a leg injury, which protected him from some of the bullets. Hanson’s bail was set at $250,000.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
