A 12-year-old girl called 911 from inside a Montana home as a gunman killed eight relatives, including four children, during a Sunday family dinner outside Billings. The victims belonged to four generations of the same blended family.Charlotte Ghekiere, 12, was among those killed. Family friend Jennifer Mercer said the girl called 911 and tried to save her relatives, something the family wanted made public. “The one thing we do know is that Charlotte was the hero,” Mercer said.The gunman was identified by relative Brad Ireland as Alan Smith, 44. Smith had lived with his parents for years before they asked him to leave a couple of weeks earlier, but he returned unexpectedly on Sunday evening as relatives gathered for their regular family dinner and opened fire, Ireland said, according to news agency Associated Press.
Victims spanned four generations
The oldest victim was Smith’s grandmother, Evelyn Smith, who was in her 90s, used a wheelchair and lived in a nearby retirement community. The youngest was 7-year-old Chloe Ireland.Smith’s parents, Dana and Barb Smith, and his younger sister, Megan Ghekiere, were also killed. Megan’s children with former husband Brad Ireland, Owen Ireland, 13, and Chloe, were among the four children who died.Her two stepchildren with current husband Adam Ghekiere, Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte, 12, were also killed. Mercer, who was authorized to release information about the victims, later launched an online appeal to help the family meet funeral and other expenses.She described the family as close and loving, saying the children got along and their parents remained amicable even after divorcing. She also said the deaths had devastated the wider community, including people who had never known the family.
Officers heard shots before flames engulfed house
Officers arrived at the property on Sunday evening and heard gunshots from the rear of the house. Soon afterwards, flames engulfed the building.Investigators confirmed on Tuesday that eight people had been killed, including four children. They also said the suspect had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died. Ireland said Smith killed his grandmother, parents, younger sister and the four children before setting the house on fire. He added that Smith tried to flee before encountering law enforcement.Firefighters could not immediately tackle the blaze because authorities first had to secure the scene. Once they were able to enter the area, crews continued fighting the fire until about 1am on Monday, Billings Fire Department Chief Matt Hoppel said.The subdivision is outside Billings city limits and is not required to have fire hydrants. The delay in starting firefighting operations gave the flames additional time to spread through the house.
Family moved to Montana from Seattle area
The family originally came from the Seattle area. After Ireland and Megan divorced six years ago, she moved to Montana with their children, where she later met Adam Ghekiere, who became her second husband.Her parents, Dana and Barb Smith, subsequently followed her to Montana and settled in Billings nearby. Dana’s elderly mother, Evelyn, lived separately in a retirement community in the area, Ireland said.Alan Smith had also been living in Montana with his parents for several years before they recently asked him to leave. He returned to their home on Sunday evening while relatives were gathering for their regular family meal.Adam Ghekiere was at work and was not at the house when the shooting occurred.
Relative says there were ‘many red flags’
Ireland, who lives in Arizona and lost his former wife and two children in the shooting, said there had been warning signs involving Smith.“There were many red flags and many people spoke out,” he said. “No one listened.”He described Smith as a “hermit” who generally remained in his room and spent much of his time on a computer. Ireland said relatives did not know what he did there throughout the day.Smith attended Eastern Washington University but had been unable to find a job or keep one. Criminal-record checks in Montana and Washington also found no previous arrest or criminal charge involving him.Ireland said he was unaware of any previous violence by Smith, although he said his former brother-in-law could be verbally abusive.Friends of the victims have since created two GoFundMe campaigns to support Adam Ghekiere and his former wife, Erica Schneider.
Montana case is 22nd US mass killing this year
The case is the 22nd US mass killing recorded this year by a database compiled by the news agency and USA Today with Northeastern University. Of those incidents, 15 stemmed from domestic disputes.James Alan Fox, the Northeastern University criminologist responsible for the database, said domestic disputes account for about half of US mass killings on average.No US mass killing since April has had a higher death toll. In that earlier Louisiana case, a father killed eight children, seven of them his own, and wounded his wife and another woman.
Husband raced home after hearing shooting alert
Adam Ghekiere was working at the Billings airport when he heard a report of an active shooting over a dispatch radio. He immediately called each member of his family before driving across Billings to the Smith home.By the time he arrived, the house was already ablaze. About two hours later, he learned that his wife and children had been killed.Ghekiere said he had not expected his children to be at the gathering because the family normally held its dinner on Fridays. Their presence that Sunday also led him to believe Smith had not expected to find them there.“I don’t think he expected my kids to be there,” he said, referring to his brother-in-law.Police later told Ghekiere that Charlotte had made the emergency call from inside the house. As he recalled his daughter, he said one particular exchange continued to stay with him.“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.
Fire damage complicates investigation
The fire burned the house to its foundation, leaving investigators with concerns about the structural integrity of what remained. Those concerns have complicated the investigation, Billings Police Department spokesperson Jeff Stovall said.
