Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
(26 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Billings, Montana - 26 August 2026
1. Wide of road closure sign near scene of family tragedy
2. Wide of emergency vehicles and personnel
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Nelson, Billings mayor:
"You know, I lived here for a long time. I was born and raised here and in my lifetime. I don't remember anything like this."
++BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Nelson, Billings mayor:
"I think it's hit hard. It's like everything. 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 I think that's OK too. But Billings is a strong community and it's full of strong, good people, and we'll come together and we'll support the family, and we'll do the things that we need to do to make things right."
++BLACK FRAMES++
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Nelson, Billings mayor:
"Yeah, you know, Billings is a big city now with 200,000 people counting the county. But I don't think that you can find anybody who's not been touched by this Incident. I don't think you'll be able to find anybody who probably doesn't know someone who's been connected with this. So yeah, at heart, we're a small town. We act like we're a small town, and that's a good thing because our people care for each other."
++BLACK FRAMES++
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Nelson, Billings mayor:
"I know that they were a loving family. They were together for dinner that night. I know that this is a thing that shouldn't have happened to any family, and yes, I followed the coverage and have this happen to such a large group with such a wide range of ages from children to grandparents all at once. I just can't imagine the anguish that this is causing for the people that survived it."
7. Various of memorial with family photos, balloons, and candles
STORYLINE:
Mayor of Billings, the Montana city where a 44-year-old person killed his grandmother, his parents, his younger sister and four children as they gathered for Sunday dinner, before setting the house on fire, described the horrific incident as a first in his lifetime.
"I know that they were a loving family. They were together for dinner that night. I know that this is a thing that shouldn't have happened to any family," Mike Nelson told The Associated Press.
A family member shared with AP that the suspect's parents asked him to move out weeks before.
Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead, identified the shooter as 44-year-old Alan Smith.
Smith’s parents, who were also killed, had asked him to move out, but he returned on Sunday and opened fire, Ireland said.
The victims represented four generations of the blended family, ranging from a great-grandmother in her 90s who used a wheelchair 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 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 were eight victims, including four children, and that the suspect had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died.
"I just can't imagine the anguish that this is causing for the people that survived it," Nelson added.
AP Video shot by: Matt Brown
===========================================================
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(26 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Billings, Montana - 26 August 2026
1. Wide of road closure sign near scene of family tragedy
2. Wide of emergency vehicles and personnel
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Nelson, Billings mayor:
"You know, I lived here for a long time. I was born and raised here and in my lifetime. I don't remember anything like this."
++BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Nelson, Billings mayor:
"I think it's hit hard. It's like everything. 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 I think that's OK too. But Billings is a strong community and it's full of strong, good people, and we'll come together and we'll support the family, and we'll do the things that we need to do to make things right."
++BLACK FRAMES++
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Nelson, Billings mayor:
"Yeah, you know, Billings is a big city now with 200,000 people counting the county. But I don't think that you can find anybody who's not been touched by this Incident. I don't think you'll be able to find anybody who probably doesn't know someone who's been connected with this. So yeah, at heart, we're a small town. We act like we're a small town, and that's a good thing because our people care for each other."
++BLACK FRAMES++
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Nelson, Billings mayor:
"I know that they were a loving family. They were together for dinner that night. I know that this is a thing that shouldn't have happened to any family, and yes, I followed the coverage and have this happen to such a large group with such a wide range of ages from children to grandparents all at once. I just can't imagine the anguish that this is causing for the people that survived it."
7. Various of memorial with family photos, balloons, and candles
STORYLINE:
Mayor of Billings, the Montana city where a 44-year-old person killed his grandmother, his parents, his younger sister and four children as they gathered for Sunday dinner, before setting the house on fire, described the horrific incident as a first in his lifetime.
"I know that they were a loving family. They were together for dinner that night. I know that this is a thing that shouldn't have happened to any family," Mike Nelson told The Associated Press.
A family member shared with AP that the suspect's parents asked him to move out weeks before.
Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead, identified the shooter as 44-year-old Alan Smith.
Smith’s parents, who were also killed, had asked him to move out, but he returned on Sunday and opened fire, Ireland said.
The victims represented four generations of the blended family, ranging from a great-grandmother in her 90s who used a wheelchair 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 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 were eight victims, including four children, and that the suspect had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died.
"I just can't imagine the anguish that this is causing for the people that survived it," Nelson added.
AP Video shot by: Matt Brown
===========================================================
Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: instagram.com/APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/8abdd88f315c403293eddb31f493bc4d
