A man killed eight relatives, including four children, during a Sunday dinner in Billings, Montana, and later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police said the home burned to the foundation after the shooting, complicating the investigation. The victims included the shooter’s parents, former wife, children, sister, grandmother and stepchildren, according to relatives and family friends.
A house where a family was killed is seen in Billings Mont., Aug. 25. AP-Yonhap
BILLINGS, Mont. — A man killed eight of his relatives, including four children, as they gathered for Sunday dinner at a home in Billings, Montana, just weeks after his parents forced him to move out, a family member told The Associated Press.
Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead, identified the shooter as 44-year-old Alan Smith. Smith's parents, who were also killed, had asked him to move out, but he returned on Sunday and opened fire, Ireland said.
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.
