Billings Family Shooting Leaves Eight Dead, Including Four Children

Police say suspected gunman died after fire engulfed home

BILLINGS, Montana — Eight members of a blended family, including four children, were killed during a Sunday evening shooting at a Billings home before the residence was consumed by fire, authorities said. The suspected gunman, identified by a relative as 44-year-old Alan Smith, later died from what investigators determined was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police responded to the home Sunday evening and heard gunfire coming from behind the property shortly before flames engulfed the house. Investigators confirmed Tuesday that eight victims had died, including four children. The deaths spanned four generations of the family, from a great-grandmother in her 90s to a 7-year-old girl, according to Jennifer Mercer, a family friend authorized to share details of the tragedy.

Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among those killed, said investigators had told him Smith shot himself after the attack. Ireland said Smith had returned unexpectedly to his parents' home during a regular Sunday family dinner, weeks after his parents had required him to move out.

According to Ireland, Smith opened fire on relatives gathered at the residence, then set the house ablaze. Ireland said Smith attempted to flee before encountering law enforcement. Police have not publicly detailed the sequence of events or disclosed a motive.

Victims included children from two households

The victims included Ireland's ex-wife, Megan Ghekiere, and the couple's children, Owen Ireland, 13, and Chloe Ireland, 7. Also killed were Megan Ghekiere's two stepchildren with her current husband: Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12.

Mercer said Charlotte managed to call 911 and tried to help her relatives during the attack. “Charlotte was the hero,” Mercer said, describing the family as close-knit and loving. She said the children got along well and that the adults had maintained amicable relationships following divorce.

Mercer organized an online fundraiser to help the family with funeral costs and related expenses. She said the killings had shaken people across Billings, including many residents who did not personally know the victims.

“I feel like our entire community is devastated, even people that never knew any of them,” Mercer said.

Relatives cite concerns but no known criminal record

Ireland, who lives in Arizona, said Smith had lived with his parents for years and spent much of his time alone on a computer. He described Smith as a “hermit” and said relatives had seen warning signs, though he said Smith was not known to have been physically violent before the shooting and could be verbally abusive.

Smith had attended Eastern Washington University but had struggled to find or keep work, Ireland said. Searches of criminal records in Montana and Washington found no record of Smith being arrested or charged with a crime.

Neighbor David Hiller, who lives three doors from the home, said he initially believed the sounds shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday were fireworks. After another neighbor warned him of a shooting, he went outside and saw officers in tactical gear taking cover behind vehicles as heavy black smoke rose from the residence.

The Billings family shooting is under investigation. Authorities had confirmed the eight deaths and the suspect's death, but had not released a full account of the shooting, fire or possible motive.