BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A man killed eight of his relatives, including four children, as they gathered for Sunday dinner at a home in Billings, Montana, the father of two of the kids and a family spokesperson told The Associated Press.
The victims represented four generations of the blended family, ranging from a great-grandmother in her 90s to a 7-year-old girl, according to Jennifer Mercer, a neighbor and family friend who set up an online fundraiser
to help cover funeral costs and other expenses and was authorized to release these details.
Police said they responded to the home on Sunday evening and heard gunshots coming from out back, just before the house was completely engulfed in flames. Investigators confirmed Tuesday there had been eight victims, including four children, and that one person had suffered a fatal, self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead, identified the shooter as Alan Smith, 44. Smith had recently been told to move out of the home, Ireland said.
David Hiller, a neighbor who lives three doors down from the home, heard what he thought were fireworks just after 6 p.m. on Sunday, and didn't think much of the noise until another neighbor called to warn him about a shooting on the cul-de-sac.
Hiller then rushed outside to find police in tactical gear sheltering behind vehicles, some with long guns, while plumes of black smoke rose from the home.
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Biesecker reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press writers Gene Johnson in Seattle and Mikella Schuettler in Phoenix contributed.
