Investigators search for evidence at burned Montana home where 8 relatives, including 4 kids, were killed at Sunday dinner

Four Generations Slain at Sunday Dinner in Billings, Montana; Perpetrator Found Dead After Setting Fires

Goldlaner.com – Eight members of a single family — spanning four generations — were found dead inside a suburban home on the outskirts of Billings, Montana, after a relative who had recently been asked to leave the property carried out a mass shooting and then set multiple fires before taking his own life. The victims were gathered for a Sunday dinner when the attack unfolded, leaving a community of roughly 120,000 residents in shock and grief.

Alan Smith, 44, entered the neighborhood at 5:49 p.m. on Sunday, Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell confirmed at a Wednesday press briefing. By just after 6 p.m., a 911 call had been placed from inside the house. Sheriff O’Donnell could not confirm which resident made the call, but Jennifer Mercer, a neighbor and longtime family friend, identified the voice as 12-year-old Charlotte Ghekiere, who she said was trying to save her family.

The first officers on scene confronted Smith at the threshold. He turned and ran back inside. Gunfire followed, then smoke poured from windows. Smith next appeared in the backyard, where he fired a self-inflicted gunshot wound and died shortly after police arrived, authorities stated. By that point, the structure was already consumed by flames he had ignited in several rooms.

The Victims

The eight killed included Dana Smith, a retired Air Force and Boeing veteran; Barb Smith, a retired teacher; their daughter Megan Ghekiere, 39, who worked in healthcare; and Dana’s mother, Evelyn Smith, 92, who used a wheelchair and resided in a nearby retirement community. Also slain were Megan’s four children from her first marriage: Owen Ireland, 13; Chloe Ireland, 12; Landon Ghekiere, 15; and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12.

Brad Ireland, father of Owen and Chloe, described his eldest son as the “perfect big brother” and a constant protector of Chloe. Landon had been planning to obtain his driver’s license that very week. Charlotte, according to Mercer, had a deep affection for the natural world, with a particular fascination for insects.

Megan Ghekiere had divorced Brad Ireland six years before the shooting and relocated to Montana with the children. There she met Adam Ghekiere, who became her second husband. He was at work when the attack occurred. Her parents subsequently moved to Billings, purchasing a home close to their daughter’s residence, and her brother — Alan Smith — moved into the household.

Background and Investigation

Smith had attended Eastern Washington University but, per family accounts, had been unable to secure or retain steady employment. Brad Ireland characterized him as a “hermit” who spent most days in front of a computer. Weeks before the shooting, Smith had been asked to vacate the home, a detail confirmed by both police and surviving relatives. Sheriff O’Donnell noted that law enforcement had no prior contact with Smith and had never been called to the property.

Investigators worked through the charred remains of the house shovelful by shovelful, searching for evidence that could illuminate motive and sequence. Autopsies were still underway as of the Wednesday briefing. Police recovered weapons from the scene but did not specify their type. O’Donnell said investigators had “some idea” of what might have prompted the violence, while emphasizing that the scene itself remained the priority and that “some of this is the family’s story to tell.”

“There’s many questions that will come from this investigation. Some of those questions we probably won’t ever be able to answer, because all the parties that will have those answers are not here to answer them for us.”

Among items recovered from the wreckage were a photo album that remained largely intact and a family Bible that was almost entirely unscathed by the blaze.

Community Response

The neighborhood, which draws its water from private wells rather than municipal hydrants, presented a logistical challenge for firefighters, who had to truck water to the scene. Neighbors nonetheless gathered at the perimeter, offering investigators water and food as they dug through debris.

A candlelight vigil was scheduled for Thursday night. At the mailboxes along the street, a makeshift memorial had already taken shape — teddy bears, family photographs, flowers, balloons, and an open notebook for written messages. One classmate’s note, read aloud by O’Donnell, expressed sorrow that the children “wouldn’t see them in school this year.”

Billings Mayor Mike Nelson acknowledged that in a city of that size, virtually every resident felt some connection to the victims. He described the emotional arc the community was moving through — initial shock giving way to deep upset and anger — and affirmed that those reactions were understandable.

“There was shock at first and now there are people who are deeply upset, and they should be. There are people who are angry, and that’s OK too.”

Brad Ireland, speaking to The Associated Press on Tuesday, said the family had raised concerns about Smith over time. “There were many red flags and many people spoke out,” he said. “No one listened.”

O’Donnell closed his remarks by pointing to what he called “rays of good and sunshine” that had emerged through the tragedy — neighbors feeding investigators, classmates leaving notes, and a community pulling together around a loss that touched nearly every household in Billings.