8 dead, including 4 children, after shooting and house fire in Montana
Eight people, including four children, are dead after what authorities believe started as a "family disturbance" ended with shots fired and a home engulfed in flames in Billings, Montana.
Authorities responded to a 911 call at 6:01 p.m. local time on Sunday, Aug. 23, the Billings Police Department said. Dispatchers on the call heard gunfire in the background, officials said at a news conference. Officers first arrived at the scene about 11 minutes later and heard more gunshots, Assistant Chief of Police Shawn Mayo said.
As officers approached, they saw a man in the backyard and took him into custody. He was taken to the hospital with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and died, officials said.
While officers were responding, the home became fully engulfed in flames, prompting a response from the Billings Fire Department. The combination of the flames and the unsecured scene with reports of gunfire prevented authorities from being able to rescue or recover victims.
In an update on Aug. 25, police said investigators now believe four adults and four children were killed in the incident. Recovery efforts are ongoing at the home, and authorities said the scene is expected to remain active for several more days as crews work through the damaged and unstable structure.
Billings, in southern Montana, has about 121,000 residents.
Authorities: Recovery operation a 'complex process'
Authorities said they are not yet releasing the victims' ages, genders, or relationships to one another. The Billings Police Department described the recovery operation as a "complex process."
A "significant number of personnel" were still working at the scene as authorities carefully conducted recovery efforts due to the condition and compromised structural integrity of the residence, according to police.
"To protect the integrity of this ongoing investigation and the recovery efforts currently underway, no additional information will be released at this time," the police department said in a joint statement with the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive.
There is no ongoing threat to the public, Mayo previously said. Resident who were initially evacuated from the area were allowed back to their homes.
'He was a loving, caring young man'
Authorities have not yet publicly released the victims' identities. Local news outlet KTVQ and The Associated Press reported that friends and family members identified the eight people killed as Megan Ghekiere; her children, Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12; her children from a previous relationship, Owen Ireland, 13, and Chloe Ireland, 7; her parents, Dana and Barb Smith; and her grandmother, Evelyn Smith.
Jennifer Mercer, a family friend who set up a GoFundMe to help cover funeral costs and other expenses, said the Billings community lost siblings Landon Ghekiere and Charlotte Ghekiere, "along with six other family members, in a senseless act of violence." A separate GoFundMe organized for the children's father, Adam Ghekiere, said he lost his wife, children and other family members in the Aug. 23 incident.
Mercer described Landon Ghekiere as a caring teenager who was preparing to start his sophomore year of high school, according to the GoFundMe.
"He was a loving, caring young man who was always willing to lend a hand to his family and neighbors," Mercer wrote. "He was looking forward to getting his driver’s license this week and was a patient, protective, and loving big brother."
Charlotte Ghekiere was a seventh grader who loved exploring nature and searching for bugs, according to the GoFundMe page.
"Funny, precocious, and adorable—with just the right amount of stubborn—Charlotte had an angelic smile and loved posing for pictures," Mercer wrote.
Another GoFundMe states that siblings Owen Ireland and Chloe Ireland, their mother Megan Ghekiere, and their grandparents were killed during what it described as a traditional family gathering for Sunday dinner.