BILLINGS, MT — A family with ties to the Seattle area is grieving after a man shot and killed eight relatives in Billings over the weekend before turning the gun on himself. Authorities say the attack unfolded during a Sunday evening family dinner and left the home destroyed by fire after police and firefighters responded to the scene.
Billings police said the dead included the gunman, 44-year-old Alan Smith, along with eight family members. Investigators later confirmed that Smith suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The victims included his grandmother, his parents, his sister and four children.
The Billings Police Department said it plans to give more details at a Wednesday news conference.
Police say the attack began during a family dinner and ended in a house fire
According to the Associated Press, officers were called to the property after a 911 report on Sunday evening. When they arrived, police heard gunshots coming from the back of the house just before the home was set on fire. Firefighters worked on the blaze until about 1 a.m. Monday.
The Billings Fire Department said the home sat in a subdivision outside city limits that is not required to have fire hydrants. That made it harder to fight the fire quickly, and the house ultimately burned down to its foundation. Once the scene was safe, investigators confirmed nine people were dead, including Smith.
The sequence left both homicide and fire investigators working at the same site after the family gathering turned deadly within minutes.
Victims included grandparents, parents and four children identified by officials
The Associated Press reported the victims were identified as Evelyn Smith; Dana and Barb Smith; Megan Ghekiere; her children Owen Ireland and Chloe Ireland; and her stepchildren Landon Ghekiere and Charlotte Ghekiere. Owen was 13, Chloe was 7, Landon was 15 and Charlotte was 12.
Family members told the Associated Press the violence followed weeks after Alan Smith’s parents asked him to move out of their home. The same reporting said he had lived with them for years after moving to Montana, but had recently been told to leave.
Records and background details cited by the Associated Press also indicated that Smith attended Eastern Washington University and had struggled to find or keep steady work.
Seattle-area ties add a local angle to a Montana family tragedy
Brad Ireland, Megan Ghekiere’s former husband, told the Associated Press that after their divorce six years ago she moved to Montana with Owen and Chloe. He said she later met Adam Ghekiere, who became her second husband and the father of Landon and Charlotte.
Adam Ghekiere was at work and was not at the house when the shooting happened. Megan’s parents, Dana and Barb Smith, had bought a house in Billings after their daughter relocated there, and Evelyn Smith lived in a nearby retirement community.
Billings police said in a Tuesday statement that the incident has had a profound impact on the community. The department offered condolences to the families and said it remains focused on the investigation as it prepares for the scheduled media briefing.
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