Billings man sentenced to 10 years for firing handgun after attempting to rob gas station

BILLINGS - A Billings man who fired his handgun while pointing it at the sky after trying to rob a convenience store was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Thyssen River Grable, 21, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Grable attempted to rob several cases of BuzzBallz, a brand of alcohol, from a Billings convenience store. Grable then fired his handgun in an effort to dissuade his pursuers from chasing him.

Thyssen Grable and a companion walked into a Circle K convenience store on Grand Avenue in Billings on Jan. 20, 2025. After spending time walking around the aisles, they grabbed four cases of BuzzBallz and ran out the door. The store clerk tried to stop the pair, chasing them outside and telling them he was going to call the police. Grable retorted, "Do you wanna get shot?" and the clerk ducked back into the store.

Grable and his companion jumped into a van with two others and told the driver to go. At that moment a security guard pulled his car in front of the van, blocking its exit from the parking lot. The security guard got out and told the driver to shut off the van. Grable urged the driver to pull away, but the driver shut off the engine. Grable and his companion jumped out and ran off down the road. As he ran, Grable fired several shots from a Beretta 9mm handgun into the air to stop the security guard from chasing him.

Billings police officers arrived shortly after and searched the area, finding a number of spent 9mm shell casings. A call from a Montana State University Billings police officer alerted the BPD officers that he'd found Grable and his companion on Alderson Avenue and the two were arrested. Sometime later a neighbor called BPD to say they'd found a Beretta handgun in their yard.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.