As of Tuesday morning, authorities had not released a death toll, saying only that there were multiple victims and that children were among those killed.
BILLINGS, Mont. — A shooting at a Montana home that was later set ablaze left multiple people dead Sunday evening, including children, officials said.
Billings police said the emergency call came in around 6 p.m. Mountain Time Sunday for a reported shooting. As officers headed to the address, dispatchers could hear gunfire over the 911 call, according to police.
The first officer reached the scene at 6:12 p.m., the same time police said shots were fired from the rear of the house.
By 6:15 p.m., smoke was visible coming from the home, which soon became fully engulfed in flames, police said.
NBC affiliate KULR reported that police said the suspected gunman was found outside the residence with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken by medics to a hospital, where he later died.
By Tuesday morning, Aug. 25, police still had not publicly identified the number of people killed, saying only that the victims included multiple people, among them children.
Interim Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell told KULR that he had met with relatives “from both sides of this.”
“Just by the amount of agencies involved in this, this is a very, very complex investigation,” O’Donnell told KULR.
Authorities said they have not determined how the fire started and expect the investigation to continue for the next few days. They did say there is no ongoing threat to the public though.
O’Donnell told KULR he expects to release more details Wednesday, Aug. 26.
Rep. Troy Downing, R-Montana, shared the following statement on X Monday afternoon, Aug. 24:
“My thoughts are with those affected by last night’s shooting and fire in Billings. Thank you to the law enforcement officers, firefighters, and medical personnel who responded to a dangerous and fast-moving situation. I’m grateful for their service to our community.”
This story is developing and may be updated.
