A Montana man killed 8 relatives, including 4 kids, at Sunday dinner, family says
Investigators work at the scene Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, where a family was killed and the house burned in Billings, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) This undated photo provided by Erica Schneider shows, Owen Ireland, front, Landon Ghekiere, center, Charlotte Ghekiere, back left, and Chloe Ireland, back right in helmet. (Erica Schneider via AP) Landon and Charlotte Ghekiere of Billings, Montana, are seen in an undated photo provided by their mother, Erica Schneider. (Erica Schneider via AP) This undated photo provided by Brad Ireland shows his daughter, 7-year-old Chloe Ireland, who was among eight relatives fatally shot at a home in Billings, Mont., on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (Brad Ireland via AP) This undated photo provided by Brad Ireland shows his son, 13-year-old Owen Ireland, who was among eight relatives fatally shot at a home in Billings, Mont., on Sunday, Aug. Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead, identified the shooter as 44-year-old Alan Smith. Firefighters fought the blaze until around 1 a.m.
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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. The Montana shooting is the deadliest in the U.S. since April, when a Louisiana father fatally shot eight children , including seven of his own, and shot and wounded his wife and another woman. A search of criminal records in Montana and Washington found no record Alan Smith had ever been arrested or charged with a crime.
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Investigators work at the scene Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, where a family was killed and the house burned in Billings, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) This undated photo provided by Erica Schneider shows, Owen Ireland, front, Landon Ghekiere, center, Charlotte Ghekiere, back left, and Chloe Ireland, back right in helmet. (Erica Schneider via AP) Landon and Charlotte Ghekiere of Billings, Montana, are seen in an undated photo provided by their mother, Erica Schneider. (Erica Schneider via AP) This undated photo provided by Brad Ireland shows his daughter, 7-year-old Chloe Ireland, who was among eight relatives fatally shot at a home in Billings, Mont., on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (Brad Ireland via AP) This undated photo provided by Brad Ireland shows his son, 13-year-old Owen Ireland, who was among eight relatives fatally shot at a home in Billings, Mont., on Sunday, Aug. Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead, identified the shooter as 44-year-old Alan Smith. Firefighters fought the blaze until around 1 a.m.
