EIGHT FAMILY MEMBERS KILLED DURING SUNDAY DINNER NEAR BILLINGS, MONTANA

BILLINGS, Mont. — Eight members of the same family, including four children, were killed during a Sunday evening gathering near Billings, Montana, in a devastating incident that ended with the suspected gunman dead and the family home engulfed in flames.

The victims reportedly ranged in age across four generations, from a great-grandmother in her 90s to a 7-year-old girl, according to relatives who spoke with The Associated Press.

The AP identified the suspected shooter as 44-year-old Alan Smith, who had been living with his parents. Police have not publicly established a motive for the violence.

EIGHT MEMBERS OF ONE FAMILY

The victims were identified by relatives as:

• Dana Smith
• Barb Smith
• Evelyn Smith
• Megan Ghekiere
• Owen Ireland, 13
• Chloe Ireland, 7
• Landon Ghekiere, 15
• Charlotte Ghekiere, 12

Megan’s husband, Adam Ghekiere, was working at the time and was not at the home when the incident occurred.

Brad Ireland, Megan’s former husband and the father of Owen and Chloe, told the AP that Smith had lived with his parents for years and described him as a quiet, isolated person who spent much of his time alone on his computer.

Smith had reportedly been asked to leave his parents’ home only weeks before the tragedy.

Authorities have not said whether that dispute was connected to the violence.

A 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL TRIED TO GET HELP

Among the most heartbreaking details to emerge was the role of 12-year-old Charlotte Ghekiere.

According to family friend Jennifer Mercer, Charlotte called 911 as the incident unfolded and attempted to get emergency assistance for her family.

Mercer described Charlotte as a hero and said the family wanted people to remember her actions.

The emergency call became one of the first indications that something was seriously wrong inside the residence.

POLICE ARRIVED AS THE HOME BURNED

Billings police responded shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday following reports of an unfolding emergency at the residence.

Officers reportedly heard sounds coming from behind the home. The situation quickly became even more dangerous when the house became engulfed in flames.

The fire complicated efforts to reach the victims and secure the scene.

Authorities later confirmed that eight people had died and that the suspected gunman was also found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Investigators have not publicly released a motive.

A FATHER ARRIVED TO A BURNING HOME

Adam Ghekiere, an airport rescue firefighter, was working when he heard reports of the active incident over a dispatch radio.

He attempted to contact his family and rushed toward the residence.

But by the time he arrived, the home was burning.

He later learned that his wife and children were among those who had been killed.

The devastating discovery left surviving relatives mourning several members of the same family at once.

THE FAMILY HAD GATHERED FOR DINNER

Relatives said the Sunday gathering was unusual because the family normally held its weekly dinner on Fridays.

What began as a family gathering instead became the scene of an unimaginable tragedy.

The deaths have affected multiple generations of the family, leaving relatives and friends struggling to understand how an ordinary evening together could end so suddenly.

REMEMBERING THE CHILDREN

Fundraisers have been created to help surviving relatives cover funeral expenses, counseling and other costs following the tragedy.

A memorial fundraiser for Landon and Charlotte describes Landon as a protective older brother who was preparing to begin his sophomore year and looking forward to eventually getting his driver’s license.

Charlotte was preparing to enter seventh grade.

Family and friends remembered her as funny and adventurous, with a particular fascination for turning over rocks and searching for bugs.

Their lives, along with those of six other family members, were cut short in a tragedy that has devastated the Billings-area community.

INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

Police have not publicly identified a definitive motive or explained what led to the violence.

Investigators must now piece together the events inside the home, including the circumstances surrounding the fire and the actions of the suspected shooter.

For the surviving relatives, however, the investigation cannot undo what happened.

Eight members of one family — spanning four generations — were lost in a matter of minutes. And amid the devastation, a 12-year-old girl’s desperate call for help has emerged as one of the most poignant details of a tragedy that left an entire family shattered.