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A Montana man who killed eight of his relatives, including four children, during a Sunday dinner at a home in Montana had been asked by his parents weeks earlier to move out of the property, according to a family member.
Brad Ireland told The Associated Press that his former wife and two children were among those killed by Alan Smith, 44, in a homicide that the Billings Police Department called an “unimaginable tragedy.” Investigators said Smith died after suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The victims were identified by the AP as 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, as well as Smith’s parents, Dana and Barb, and his grandmother Evelyn.
“The one thing we do know is that Charlotte was the hero,” Jennifer Mercer, a neighbor and family friend who set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral costs and other expenses, said to the news agency. “Charlotte called 911 and she tried to save her family. And that’s something the family does want out there.”
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The Billings Police Department said it responded to a 911 call of an active shooting at 6:01 p.m. Sunday and heard shots fired from the back of the house. Minutes later, the property was fully engulfed in flames.
Firefighters ultimately fought the blaze until around 1 a.m. Monday, according to Billings Fire Department Chief Matt Hoppel. The home is in a subdivision outside of city limits that’s not required to have fire hydrants.
“Due to the condition and structural integrity of the residence, recovery and investigative efforts must be conducted carefully and methodically,” the Billings Police Department said Tuesday, adding that, “we extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones affected by this unimaginable tragedy.”
Mercer described the family as “very loving and close,” and said the children all got along and that their parents remained amicable even after divorcing.
The Smith family was originally from the Seattle area. Ireland said that after he and Megan Ghekiere divorced six years ago, she moved to Montana with their children and met the man who would become her second husband, Adam Ghekiere, who was working and not at the home when the shooting occurred.
She and Alan’s parents, Dana and Barb Smith, soon followed, buying a house in Billings near their daughter’s home. Evelyn Smith, their grandmother, lived in a nearby retirement community, Ireland said.
Alan Smith, who also moved in with his parents in Montana, was described by Ireland as a “hermit” who spent most of his days in his room on his computer.
“No one knew what he did in there 24/7,” he said.
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Smith’s parents had asked Alan to move out weeks ago after he stayed with them for years, Ireland told the AP.
Alan Smith had attended Eastern Washington University but had been unable to find or hold a job, the AP reported. Ireland told the news agency that to his knowledge, Alan Smith had never been violent, though he could be verbally abusive.
Adam Ghekiere, who works at the airport in Billings, told the AP that he heard over a dispatch radio about an active shooting. After calling each member of his family, he raced across town to the Smith home.
When he got there, the house was ablaze, and two hours later, he learned his wife and children had been killed. His children weren’t supposed to be there because family dinner was usually on Friday, he said.
“I don’t think he expected my kids to be there,” Ghekiere said, referring to his brother-in-law. “Monster isn’t even enough to describe what he did.”
A GoFundMe page said Adam Ghekiere’s 15-year-old son Landon, who was set to enter his sophomore year of high school, was “looking forward to getting his driver’s license this week and was a patient, protective, and loving big brother.”
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“Charlotte was 12 and preparing to begin seventh grade. Funny, precocious, and adorable — with just the right amount of stubborn — Charlotte had an angelic smile and loved posing for pictures,” it added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
