A man killed eight members of a family, including four children, during Sunday dinner at a house in Billings, Montana, before taking his own life, according to a family spokesperson to The Associated Press.
That spokesperson, Jennifer Mercer, who has started an online fundraiser to help cover funeral expenses and other costs, and who was authorized to disclose details, identified the victims as representatives of four generations of the family, from a great-grandmother over 90 years old to a 7-year-old girl.
The investigation is being conducted by the Yellowstone County police in collaboration with the Billings local police. Officers responded to the house Sunday night and heard gunshots coming from the backyard, just before the house was completely engulfed in flames. The officers confirmed all the deaths, including one person with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The incident, according to initial indications, began with a family quarrel. Brad Ireland, ex-husband of one of the deceased and their two children, identified the shooter as Alan Smith, 44 years old. According to Ireland, Smith had recently been asked to leave the residence.
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“The initial investigation shows that this incident started as a family dispute and was not a random act of violence between strangers,” stated the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office in a statement.
David Hiller, a neighbor who lives three houses away from the residence, heard what he thought were fireworks last Sunday shortly after 6 p.m., so he did not pay much attention to the noise until another neighbor called to warn him about a shooting on the side of the house.
Hiller ran outside and found the police taking cover behind their vehicles, some armed with long guns, while columns of black smoke rose from the house.
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