Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
A man killed eight of his relatives, including four children, as they gathered for Sunday dinner at a home in Billings, Montana, just weeks after his parents forced him to move out, a family member told The Associated Press.
Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead, and who had previously lived in Seattle, 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 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 were eight victims, including four children, and that the suspect had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died.
The investigation has been complicated by concerns about the structural integrity of the house after the fire burned it to its foundation, said Jeff Stovall, a spokesperson for the Billings Police Department.
Firefighters fought the blaze until around 1 a.m., according to Billings Fire Chief Matt Hoppel.
The subdivision where the home was located was outside of municipal limits and not required to have fire hydrants.
Efforts to fight the fire were delayed until the site was secure, allowing the blaze to tear through the home.
12-year-old calls 911
Among those killed were Ireland’s ex-wife, Megan Ghekiere, and their two children, Owen Ireland, 13, and Chloe Ireland, 7.
Also killed were Ghekiere’s two stepchildren with her current husband: Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12.
“The one thing we do know is that Charlotte was the hero,” Mercer said. “Charlotte called 911, and she tried to save her family. And that’s something the family does want out there.”
She described the family as “very loving and close,” and said the children all got along and that their parents remained amicable even after divorcing.
“I feel like our entire community is devastated, even people that never knew any of them,” Mercer said.
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A man killed eight of his relatives, including four children, as they gathered for Sunday dinner at a home in Billings, Montana, just weeks after his parents forced him to move out, a family member told The Associated Press.
Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead, and who had previously lived in Seattle, 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 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 were eight victims, including four children, and that the suspect had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died.
The investigation has been complicated by concerns about the structural integrity of the house after the fire burned it to its foundation, said Jeff Stovall, a spokesperson for the Billings Police Department.
Firefighters fought the blaze until around 1 a.m., according to Billings Fire Chief Matt Hoppel.
The subdivision where the home was located was outside of municipal limits and not required to have fire hydrants.
Efforts to fight the fire were delayed until the site was secure, allowing the blaze to tear through the home.
12-year-old calls 911
Among those killed were Ireland’s ex-wife, Megan Ghekiere, and their two children, Owen Ireland, 13, and Chloe Ireland, 7.
Also killed were Ghekiere’s two stepchildren with her current husband: Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12.
“The one thing we do know is that Charlotte was the hero,” Mercer said. “Charlotte called 911, and she tried to save her family. And that’s something the family does want out there.”
She described the family as “very loving and close,” and said the children all got along and that their parents remained amicable even after divorcing.
“I feel like our entire community is devastated, even people that never knew any of them,” Mercer said.
_______________
Stay up to date with our social media:
facebook.com/KOMONews
twitter.com/komonews
instagram.com/komo4
tiktok.com/@komo4seattle
Download our iOS App: itunes.apple.com/us/app/komo-news-mobile/id433508161?mt=8
Download our Android App: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.newssynergy.komo&hl=en
Have a news tip? Send it directly to us:
Email us: tips@komonews.com
Call the Newsroom: 206.404.4000
KOMO News (ABC 4) provides the latest breaking news, sports, weather, traffic, and local event coverage in the Seattle and Western Washington/Puget Sound area, including Bellevue, Redmond, Renton, Kent, Tacoma, Bellingham, Yakima, and surrounding communities.
This video and all Sinclair Broadcast Group content archives of local news and sports coverage are available for your use. For more information, contact us at contentsales@sbgtv.com
#komo #komonews #komo4 #komo4news #seattle #seattlenews #washingtonnews
