Two Montana siblings whose lives were filled with plans, curiosity and promise were killed when a step-uncle opened fire during a family dinner.
Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12, were among eight relatives fatally shot on August 23 at a home in Billings, Montana, where 44-year-old Alan Smith opened fire at his parents’ house.
As their parents face the heartbreak of preparing their funerals, they are focusing on the spirit that defined both children: an eagerness to embrace new experiences and step into the unknown.
Landon was remembered in an obituary as “thoughtful, affectionate, sarcastic, witty and intelligent.”
He was a fan of Marvel movies, video games and live music, and those closest to him knew him for his constant jokes, especially the ones aimed lovingly at his mother.
Landon threw himself into a wide range of activities. He played soccer and baseball, joined the Billings Senior wrestling team despite having no previous experience, played trumpet in the Senior High Symphonic Band and enjoyed chess.
At the time he was killed, Landon was looking ahead to his sophomore year of high school, preparing to earn his driver’s license and anticipating a Sustainability Living Tour that would take him to Germany and Switzerland.
His mother, Erica Jarussi Schneider, told KTVQ that Landon hoped to pursue work in a trade when he grew up.
Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12, had promising futures before they were tragically gunned down by their step-uncle at a family dinner on August 23
Landon and Charlotte were killed in the massacre, along with their step-mother, Megan Ghekiere, and their step-siblings Owen Ireland, 13, and Chloe Ireland, seven. Their father, Adam Ghekiere was working at the time
‘All these dreams, all these things he wanted to do and worked so hard to do, they’re just… they’re gone,’ she lamented.
Instead, Landon’s obituary says he spent his last moments on earth trying to save his younger sister.
The two had been ‘polar opposites,’ but shared a loving nature and a sharp sense of humor, Schneider said at a candlelight vigil for the victims of the family massacre.
‘In their last moments, they showed unbelievable amounts of bravery,’ she said, according to the US Sun.
Charlotte had even called 911 when Smith began shooting at the family dinner.
Gunshots could still be heard in the background of the call. Within just three minutes, the house was set on fire, Interim Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell has said.
For her bravery that night, Charlotte will posthumously receive the Youth Peace and Justice Foundation’s National Heroism Award.
The organization also hopes to plant a living memorial tree in a national forest in Charlotte’s honor, as the foundation’s founder, Daniel Chapin, lauded the pre-teen for demonstrating ‘courage that deserves to be remembered.’
Alan Smith, 44, opened fire at the family dinner before setting fire to his parents’ home. He is pictured with his sister, Megan
This undated photo provided by Erica Schneider shows, Owen Ireland, front, Landon Ghekiere, center, Charlotte Ghekiere, back left, and Chloe Ireland, back right in helmet
Those who knew Charlotte have also described her as a ‘bright, quirky, intuitive soul who became fiercely independent and curious as she grew older.’
‘Charlotte’s genuine curiosity about the world was unlimited and she was unapologetically herself,’ her obituary reads.
‘She asked questions thoughtfully and fearlessly, and stood firm in her beliefs while also remaining selfless and incredibly sensitive to the needs of those around her.’
It goes on to describe how she had a special love for animals and insects – particularly cows and bugs – as well as her dogs, Macy and Ingrid.
Charlotte also threw herself into everything she did – from crocheting, painting and diamond art to paddle boarding and playing the violin. She also dabbled in soccer, gymnastics, dance, Ninja Warrior and jiu jitsu and had been planning to start wrestling like her brother.
But she had spent much of the summer bonding with her dad, Adam Ghekiere, over video games and golf – driving him around the course.
The two served as role models for their younger step-siblings, Owen Ireland, 13, and Chloe Ireland, seven, who were also killed in the family massacre.
Megan was descried in her own obituary as a caring mother
Owen had looked up to Landon, with Adam previously saying his stepson started playing trumpet after watching Landon do the same.
Owen was also remembered as a child who loved books, LEGOs and gaming with his friends.
‘He loved to try new things at least once,’ Adam had said of his stepson. ‘He loved reading. That kid would sit down and just read to the point where I’d be like “Dude, it’s 10.30 on a school night.”
‘He loved everyone,’ Adam continued. ‘He loved his friends, he loved gaming with his friends.’
Young Chloe also loved to have an older sister, an online fundraiser to support the family has said.
She was remembered as a little girl who loved playing dress up, with Adam describing how she would wear winter clothes in the summer or a summer outfit during the colder months simply because it was what she wanted to wear.
The young girl was the apple of her mother, Megan’s, eye, Adam noted.
Megan had divorced her ex, Brad Ireland, six years ago, after which she moved to Montana with their children
Meanwhile, Megan was remembered in her own obituary as ‘the kind of person who left a lasting impression on everyone she met.
‘Being a mother was Megan’s calling in life,’ it said. ‘She was a wonderful mom who found the perfect balance between being fun, loving and a guiding presence for her children.
‘Owen and Chloe were the center of her world and she loved them with everything she had.’
‘Megan was one of the most kindhearted, genuine and loving people you could ever meet,’ the obituary continued. ‘She had a way of making people feel loved and accepted simply by being herself.’
‘She also had a special appreciation for the little things that made her smile – baseball hats, beautiful butterflies, coffee mugs and enjoying a good beer.’
Megan had divorced her ex, Brad Ireland, six years ago, after which she moved to Montana with their children.
That is where she met Adam, and the couple tied the knot last year.
Megan’s parents, Barbara ‘Barb’ Smith, 72, and father, Dana Smith, 73, soon decided to follow their daughter, buying the house in Billings near her home while her grandmother, Evelyn, lived in a nearby retirement community.
Alan then followed his parents to Billings after they moved to Montana from Seattle. Public records show the family has been in the state since 2020.
Alan Smith, left, with his mother, Barb Smith, and father, Dana Smith, at his sister Megan’s wedding to Brad Ireland in 2010
There, ‘he was like a hermit,’ Adam previously told the US Sun. ‘It got to the point where his mom didn’t enjoy living in her own house with how he was acting towards them.’
The parents finally kicked Alan out of the house a few weeks ago, Ghekiere said, and they had thought he was staying with another family member out of town.
‘So up until last week, we thought he was out of state because he said, “You know, I’m gonna go somewhere warmer.’
But when the family had their weekly dinner at his parents’ house on Sunday, police say he barged in at around 5.49pm.
About 11 minutes later, neighbors said they heard what they thought were fireworks, and at 6.02pm dispatchers received a call from what they described as a ‘female’ voice inside the house.
When officers arrived on scene just 10 minutes later, they found the residence already ‘fully engulfed’ in flames, Billings police said. They also heard gunfire coming from inside the home.
Officers quickly spotted Alan outside in the back of the burning house and at around 6.13pm, a deputy ‘heard a final shot, which was broken away from the rest of the shots,’ Sheriff O’Donnell said.
After the shooting, the house was then set on fire, trapping the family inside as it burned to the ground. Police say Alan was spotted outside in the back of the burning house, where he turned the gun on himself
Aerial photographs taken after the blaze was extinguished on August 23 show that very little remains of the residence
His children were not even supposed to be at the Smith’s house that night, Ghekiere said, noting that the family normally had their get-togethers on Friday nights – but decided to postpone it to Sunday due to his work schedule and one of the children’s scheduled sleepovers.
‘I don’t think he expected my kids to be there,’ the grieving father said of his brother-in-law, whom he branded as a ‘monster.’
Brad Ireland, who is grieving the heartbreaking loss of his 13-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter, has also claimed that there were warning signs of Alan’s troubles.
‘There were many red flags and many people spoke out,’ Brad told the New York Post. ‘No one listened.’
Alan lived at home with his parents but spent his days holed up alone in his room on the computer, Brad said.
‘No one knew what he did in there 24/7,’ he said, adding that Alan had been unable to hold down a job despite getting a degree from Eastern Washington University.
He had also been verbally abusive, Brad claimed, though he said to his knowledge Alan had never been violent, and records show Alan had no previous arrests and was never previously charged with any other crime.
