Law enforcement unveiled new details and identified the suspect they believe is responsible for a mass shooting and house fire that killed eight members of a blended family in Billings, Montana.
Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell identified the suspect as Alan Smith, 44, the son of the homeowner killed in the deadly incident, Dana Smith, 73. O'Donnell said Dana Smith's wife, Barbara Smith, 72; his daughter, Megan Ireland-Ghekiere, 39; Ireland-Ghekiere's children, Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12; Owen Ireland, 13, and Chloe Ireland, 7; and family matriarch, Evelyn Smith, 92; were also killed in the attack.
Law enforcement responded to a 911 call around 6 p.m. local time Aug. 23 and confronted the suspect, who retreated into
the house, O'Donnell said at a news conference Aug. 26. Gunshots erupted inside as smoke and flames emerged from house.
The suspect fled to the backyard and later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. Less than an hour after the chaos began, the front of the house was fully engulfed in flames.
When asked about the suspect's motive, O'Donnell said police "do have an idea of what possibly transpired" but did not provide additional information. The shooting has rocked the southern Montana community of Billings, which has about 121,000 residents, and has in the days since, begun to mourn the loss of the family by setting up a makeshift memorial with teddy bears, photos and written condolences, O'Donnell said.
“I don't think tragic is a strong enough word for this. It's worse than that," he said. "A family has been devastated and may never recover."
Authorities release detailed timeline of shooting, fire
O'Donnell said the incident began when Alan Smith arrived at his parent's home at 5:49 p.m. local time.
At 6 p.m., neighbors reported hearing what sounded like fireworks coming from the home, and two minutes later police received a 911 call from a female who said people inside were injured as gunshots rang out in the background. Family friend and neighbor Jennifer Mercer told the Associated Press that 12-year-old Charlotte made the 911 call, but O'Donnell said he could not yet confirm that.
Law enforcement arrived at 6:10 p.m. and encountered the suspect in the front yard, O'Donnell said. The suspect fled into the house, where more gunshots could be heard, and then "immediately" entered the fenced-in backyard, which was obstructed from view, he said.
A deputy reported hearing a final shot fired at 6:13 p.m., and officers made their way to the backyard, where they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound at 6:22 p.m., according to O'Donnell. Police said he was transported to the hospital, pronounced dead and later identified as the suspect.
O'Donnell said police believe "multiple" fires were started inside the home prior to their arrival, and by 6:44 p.m., the entire front of the house was engulfed in flames. Extinguishing the fire was a challenge because there are no fire hydrants in the neighborhood, O'Donnell said.
'Extensive' crime scene has slowed investigation
Though the suspect is dead, O'Donnell said investigators are searching for evidence the same way they would if they were preparing to take him to trial. He said the sheriff's office had been slow to release information about the incident, in part because the crime scene is so "extensive," as he displayed photos of the 4,000-square-foot home located at the end of a cul-de-sac.
"If you can picture shovel by shovel being removed from the house, room by room, and looked through to make sure we're not missing any pieces of evidence, that's what is making this so slow and hindering some of the information that's being released," O'Donnell said.
A family photo album and a Bible that belonged to Barbara Smith, who was at the home for a family dinner, were among the items found unscathed at the scene, O'Donnell said. The sheriff said police also recovered weapons from the home.
What to know about the suspect
O'Donnell said Alan Smith previously lived at the home where the shooting took place, but did not currently reside there. He said the sheriff's office had never had contact with the suspect or been sent to the home before the shooting.
O'Donnell declined to elaborate on the potential motive.
"We're still investigating that portion of things because we have not had time to interview all the parties involved in this...some of this is the family's story to tell and not law enforcement's," he said.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucciand Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Suspect in mass shooting, fire that killed 8 family members identified
