BILLINGS, MT — Multiple people, including children, were killed Sunday evening after a shooting and fire at a home in Billings, and authorities say the person believed to be responsible later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police and the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office said the incident was not random and instead began as a family disturbance involving people who knew one another.
Law enforcement said there is no further danger to the public. Officials have not released the number of victims, their ages or other identifying details, though they confirmed that both adults and children were among the dead. Investigators were still working Monday to determine what led to the violence and how the fire spread through the property.
Police say call came in around 6 p.m. and officers heard shots at the house
The Billings Police Department said it received a report of an active shooter at the home around 6 p.m. local time on Sunday. An officer arrived within about 15 minutes and heard gunfire coming from the back of the house, according to the department.
Shortly after officers got to the scene, smoke began pouring from the property. Video shared by KTVQ showed a large plume rising into the air above the neighborhood as the fire grew. Sgt. Jeff Stovall said police extended their condolences to everyone affected and noted that investigators could not yet release every detail because the case remains active.
Sheriff says the victims were targeted and the case began as a family disturbance
Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office officials said the people who were shot were all killed. They described the sequence as a domestic or familial dispute rather than a public attack on strangers, saying the individuals involved were known to one another before the shooting started.
Interim Sheriff Kent O’Donnell said at a Monday briefing, as reported by CBS affiliate KTVQ, that both adults and children were among the dead. Authorities have not said how many victims there were in total or provided their names. The sheriff’s office said the suspect and the victims have been identified, but it declined to make those names public.
Investigation will continue for days as authorities ask the public to avoid the scene
The suspect was taken to a local hospital after the shooting and later died from injuries connected to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, law enforcement said. Officials have not said what may have motivated the attack or whether any other weapons or factors were involved.
The Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation and said additional updates will be released as time allows. Authorities asked the public to stay away from the scene while investigators collect evidence, and they said the work at the home was expected to continue for multiple days. Stovall said there are questions police cannot answer yet in order to protect the integrity of the case.
What authorities have confirmed so far about the Billings case
Officials have confirmed several key points: multiple people died, children were among the victims, the incident started as a family disturbance, and the suspect died after a self-inflicted gunshot wound. They also said the shooting was not random and that there is no continued threat to the community.
Even with those details, the investigation remains in its early stages. Police and sheriff’s deputies have not disclosed the identities of the victims, the suspect’s name, or the exact number of people killed. For now, investigators are focusing on the timeline inside the home, the fire, and the evidence left behind at the property.
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