Eight relatives, four children killed in Montana family dinner shooting

A Montana man killed eight relatives, including four children, during a Sunday family dinner at a home in Billings before setting the house on fire and dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a family member and police said.

Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the victims, identified the shooter as 44-year-old Alan Smith. Ireland said Smith’s parents had recently forced him to move out, but he returned Sunday and opened fire, according to the Associated Press.

The victims spanned four generations, ranging from a great-grandmother in her 90s who used a wheelchair to a 7-year-old girl, family friend Jennifer Mercer said. Among those killed were Ireland’s former wife, Megan Ghekiere, their children Owen Ireland, 13, and Chloe Ireland, 7, as well as Ghekiere’s stepchildren Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12.

Police said officers arrived Sunday evening to gunfire coming from behind the house, which was then engulfed in flames. Investigators confirmed Tuesday that eight people had died and that Smith later died from his self-inflicted wound.

Mercer said Charlotte called 911 and tried to save her family.

“The one thing we do know is that Charlotte was the hero. Charlotte called 911, and she tried to save her family. And that's something the family does want out there.”

Firefighters battled the blaze until about 1 a.m. The home burned to its foundation, complicating the investigation. The subdivision lacked fire hydrants, and firefighting efforts were delayed until the scene was secured.

The Smith family had moved from the Seattle area to Montana. Ireland said Smith had lived with his parents for years and was asked to leave weeks before the shooting. He described Smith as a “hermit” who spent most of his time on a computer. He had attended Eastern Washington University but struggled to find or keep a job. Authorities found no criminal record in Montana or Washington.

The killings were the 22nd mass killing in the U.S. this year, according to an AP-USA Today-Northeastern University database. Fifteen involved domestic disputes.

By Tamilla Hasanova