Overview
- A man opened fire during a family dinner and set multiple fires at a West End Billings home on Sunday, Aug. 23, killing eight members of a blended family before he died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.
- Yellowstone County authorities identified the deceased suspect as 44-year-old Alan Michael Smith, who formerly lived at the house and was a relative of the victims.
- Fire damage and structural instability have required investigators to excavate the site room by room, and autopsies and forensic processing are ongoing while officials say they have an idea of what happened but have not confirmed a motive.
- Neighbors and relatives say 12-year-old Charlotte Ghekiere called 911 from inside the burning house as shots rang out and tried to save family members, a detail that family and community members have highlighted.
- The community has held large vigils and raised more than $200,000 to support the survivors and funerals, and officials say the suburban property’s lack of hydrants slowed firefighting and contributed to the home burning to its foundation.