Montana man kills 8 relatives including 4 children at Sunday dinner in Billings

Alan Smith, 44, shot eight family members across four generations before setting the house on fire outside Billings, Montana. Smith had been asked to move out weeks earlier.

Gunman kills four children and four adults at family dinner outside Billings, Montana

A 44-year-old man shot and killed eight relatives — including four children — during a Sunday family dinner at a home outside Billings, Montana, weeks after his parents had asked him to leave the residence, a family member told The Associated Press. ABC News US reports that the suspect, identified as Alan Smith, subsequently set the house on fire and later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead, named Smith as the shooter. Smith had been living with his parents in Montana for years before they asked him to move out a couple of weeks prior to the attack. He returned unexpectedly on Sunday evening while the family was gathered for their regular weekly dinner.

Victims spanned four generations of a blended family

The eight victims represented four generations of what those close to them described as a close-knit blended family. They included Smith's elderly grandmother — a great-grandmother in her 90s who used a wheelchair — his parents Dana and Barb Smith, his younger sister Megan Ghekiere, and four children: Owen Ireland, 13; Chloe Ireland, 7; Landon Ghekiere, 15; and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12.

Ireland and Megan Ghekiere had divorced six years ago, after which she relocated to Montana with their two children. She later married Adam Ghekiere, who was not home at the time of the shooting — he was working at the Billings airport when he heard a dispatch radio report of an active shooting.

"I don't think he expected my kids to be there," Adam Ghekiere told the AP, referring to his brother-in-law. "Monster isn't even enough to describe what he did." Family dinner had typically been held on Fridays, he said; that Sunday's gathering was a change from routine.

Twelve-year-old called 911 from inside the house

Neighbor and family friend Jennifer Mercer, who set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral and other expenses, said that 12-year-old Charlotte Ghekiere called 911 from inside the house during the attack.

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

Adam Ghekiere confirmed that police told him his daughter had made the call. "I keep hearing her quote to me every time I would say 'I love you' and she would say 'I love you more,'" he said.

Mercer described the family as "very loving and close," adding that the children all got along and that their parents had remained amicable following their divorce. "I feel like our entire community is devastated, even people that never knew any of them," she said.

Police and fire responded Sunday evening; investigation complicated by fire damage

Officers responded to the home on Sunday evening after receiving reports of gunshots coming from behind the house, just as the structure became fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters battled the blaze until approximately 1 a.m. Monday, according to Billings Fire Department Chief Matt Hoppel. The property sits in a subdivision outside city limits that is not required to have fire hydrants, which complicated firefighting efforts. Containment was further delayed because crews had to wait until the scene was secured before moving in.

The fire burned the house to its foundation, raising concerns about structural integrity that have complicated the investigation, said Jeff Stovall, a spokesperson for the Billings Police Department. Investigators confirmed on Tuesday that there were eight victims, including four children, and that Smith had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to Ireland, Smith attempted to flee the scene before being confronted by law enforcement.

No prior arrests; family described warning signs

Ireland said that to his knowledge, Smith had never been violent, though he could be verbally abusive. A search of criminal records in both Montana and Washington State found no record of Smith ever having been arrested or charged with a crime.

Smith had attended Eastern Washington University but had reportedly been unable to find or sustain employment. Ireland described him as a "hermit" who spent the majority of his time alone in his room on his computer. "No one knew what he did in there 24/7," Ireland said.

The family, originally from the Seattle area, had gradually relocated to Montana over the years. Megan Ghekiere's parents, Dana and Barb Smith, had bought a home in Billings near their daughter's residence. Evelyn Smith, Dana's elderly mother, lived in a nearby retirement community.

Ireland, who lives in Arizona, said warning signs had been visible to those around Smith. "There were many red flags and many people spoke out," he said. "No one listened."

Deadliest U.S. mass killing since April; domestic disputes account for majority in 2025

The Billings shooting is the 22nd mass killing in the United States so far this year, according to a database maintained by the AP and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. It is also the deadliest in the country since April, when a father in Louisiana fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own, and wounded two women.

Fifteen of the 22 mass killings recorded this year have stemmed from domestic disputes — a proportion higher than the roughly 50% historical average for U.S. mass killings, according to James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University who manages the database.

Two GoFundMe accounts have been established to raise funds for Adam Ghekiere and his ex-wife, Erica Schneider.

Source: ABC News US