Montana Man Killed 8 Relatives Weeks After Parents Asked Him to Leave

A Montana man killed eight relatives, including his sister and her four children, during a family dinner outside Billings weeks after his parents had asked him to move out of their home, authorities said Wednesday.

The shooting happened Sunday evening on White Star Circle at a house owned by Dana Smith, 73, and Barbara Smith, 72, who were killed along with their daughter, Megan Ireland-Ghekiere, 39, and her four children: Owen Ireland, 13; Chloe Ireland, 7; Landon Ghekiere, 15; and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12. Evelyn Smith, 92, the family matriarch and Dana's mother, was also killed.

Interim Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O'Donnell identified the shooter as Alan Michael Smith, 44, Megan's brother and the children's uncle. He was found dead of a gunshot wound after the attack, which O'Donnell called "very complex."

Smith had once lived at the home and had been asked to leave a couple of weeks earlier, according to Brad Ireland, Megan's ex-husband. O'Donnell confirmed Smith had previously lived there but was not residing at the house when the shooting occurred.

Authorities said Smith arrived around 5:49 p.m., and neighbors reported hearing what they thought were fireworks 11 minutes later. A 911 call came in from a woman inside the house at 6:02 p.m., and deputies arrived by 6:10 p.m. Officers confronted Smith in the front yard before he retreated inside, and more gunshots followed. A final, separate shot was heard around 6:13 p.m. Officers found Smith in the backyard with a gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead at a hospital.

A fire at the home burned until about 1 a.m. Monday, complicated by the property's location outside city limits, where fire hydrants are not required.

Neighbor and family friend Jennifer Mercer, who set up a fundraiser for the family, said Charlotte Ireland-Ghekiere made the 911 call. "She tried to save her family," Mercer said. "She lived by her favorite quote, 'I love you more.'"

Adam Ghekiere, Megan's husband, was working and not at the home during the shooting. He said the children were not supposed to be there that day because family dinners were usually held on Fridays. "I keep hearing her — every time I would say, 'I love you,' she would say, 'I love you more,'" he told The Associated Press.

Smith had no criminal record in Montana or Washington, and O'Donnell said his office had no prior contact with him.