8 victims and suspect identified in Billings, Montana, shooting and fire
Authorities have identified eight people, including four children, who were killed when a family member opened fire and set a house on fire in Billings, Montana. The suspected gunman also died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell identified the victims and suspect at a briefing Wednesday. The suspect was identified as Alan Michael Smith, 44, the son of the homeowners. O’Donnell said he had previously lived at the home but was not living there at the time of the attack.
The victims were Evelyn Smith, 92, who was at the home for a family dinner; homeowner Dana Smith, 73; his wife, Barbara Smith, 72; their daughter, Megan Ireland-Ghekiere, 39; and Megan’s children, Owen Ireland, 13, Chloe Ireland, 7, Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12.
The suspect arrived in the neighborhood at 5:49 p.m. Sunday, O’Donnell said. Neighbors began hearing what they initially believed were fireworks at about 6 p.m.
At 6:02 p.m., a female caller contacted 911 from the home on White Star Circle, saying people had been hurt as gunfire could be heard in the background. Deputies, Billings police officers and other nearby law enforcement agencies were dispatched, while fire alarms began coming from the home.
Deputies and Billings police officers arrived at 6:10 p.m. and confronted the suspect in the front yard. The suspect retreated into the house as smoke rose from the residence and more gunshots were heard inside.
He then fled out the back of the house into the fenced backyard. Officers heard a final shot at about 6:13 p.m., which was separated from the earlier gunfire.
Firefighters staged down the street because the scene had not been secured. Flames were visible from the garage at 6:16 p.m., and the front of the home was fully engulfed by 6:44 p.m., when the Billings Fire Department requested mutual aid.
Law enforcement officers entered the backyard at 6:22 p.m. and found a man with a gunshot wound. They removed him to a neighbor’s driveway and began life-saving measures before he was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“At that time, it wasn’t known that he was actually the suspect of all this,” O’Donnell said. “He was just a person down, and law enforcement, what they’re trained to do, they got him out of the hot zone and provided what first aid they could.”
Investigators believe multiple fires were set inside the house before officers arrived, allowing the flames to spread quickly. O’Donnell said the 4,000-square-foot home, which has a full basement, was heavily damaged and must be searched carefully for evidence.
All occupants of the home have been accounted for, though some remains have not yet been removed because they are part of the crime scene, the sheriff said.
O’Donnell clarified the home was not a drug house or drug lab, as claimed in some social media posts. He also said the suspect was not an ex-husband or former boyfriend, and that officers and firefighters were not being shot at when they arrived.
The sheriff’s office had not previously been called to the home and had no prior contact with the suspect. Investigators have an idea of what may have happened but have not released a motive as they continue interviewing people and processing the scene.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
