A 44-year-old Montana man accused of fatally shooting eight relatives, including four children, during a Sunday dinner in Billings had been told by his parents weeks earlier that he needed to move out, a family member said.
Brad Ireland told The Associated Press that his ex-wife and two children were among those killed by Alan Smith in what the Billings Police Department described as an “unimaginable tragedy.” Authorities said Smith later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The AP identified the victims as Ireland’s former wife, Megan Ghekiere, and their children, Owen Ireland, 13, and Chloe Ireland, 7. Also killed were Ghekiere’s two stepchildren with her current husband, Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12, along with Smith’s parents, Dana and Barb, and his grandmother, Evelyn.
“The one thing we do know is that Charlotte was the hero,” Jennifer Mercer, a neighbor and family friend who created an online fundraiser for funeral costs and other expenses, told the AP. “Charlotte called 911 and she tried to save her family. And that’s something the family does want out there.”
Landon and Charlotte Ghekiere of Billings, Montana, are shown at left in an undated photo provided by their mother, Erica Schneider. At right, in a photo provided by Brad Ireland, is his 13-year-old son, Owen Ireland, who was among eight relatives fatally shot at a home in Billings, Mont., on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (Erica Schneider via AP; Brad Ireland via AP)
Billings police said officers were dispatched at 6:01 p.m. Sunday after a 911 call reported an active shooting. When they arrived, they heard gunfire coming from the back of the house. Within minutes, the home was completely engulfed in flames.
Crews battled the fire until about 1 a.m. Monday, Billings Fire Department Chief Matt Hoppel said. The residence sits in a subdivision outside city limits, where fire hydrants are not required.
“Due to the condition and structural integrity of the residence, recovery and investigative efforts must be conducted carefully and methodically,” the Billings Police Department said Tuesday. The agency added, “We extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones affected by this unimaginable tragedy.”
Mercer described the family as “very loving and close,” and said the children all got along and that their parents remained amicable even after divorcing.
The Smith family was originally from the Seattle area. Ireland said that after he and Megan Ghekiere divorced six years ago, she moved to Montana with their children and met the man who would become her second husband, Adam Ghekiere, who was working and not at the home when the shooting occurred.
She and Alan’s parents, Dana and Barb Smith, soon followed, buying a house in Billings near their daughter’s home. Evelyn Smith, their grandmother, lived in a nearby retirement community, Ireland said.
Alan Smith, who also moved in with his parents in Montana, was described by Ireland as a “hermit” who spent most of his days in his room on his computer.
“No one knew what he did in there 24/7,” he said.
Investigators work at the scene on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, where a family was killed and a house was burned near Billings, Montana. (Matthew Brown/AP)
Smith’s parents had asked Alan to move out weeks ago after he stayed with them for years, Ireland told the AP.
Alan Smith had attended Eastern Washington University but had been unable to find or hold a job, the AP reported. Ireland told the news agency that to his knowledge, Alan Smith had never been violent, though he could be verbally abusive.
Adam Ghekiere, who works at the airport in Billings, told the AP that he heard over a dispatch radio about an active shooting. After calling each member of his family, he raced across town to the Smith home.
When he got there, the house was ablaze, and two hours later, he learned his wife and children had been killed. His children weren’t supposed to be there because family dinner was usually on Friday, he said.
“I don’t think he expected my kids to be there,” Ghekiere said, referring to his brother-in-law. “Monster isn’t even enough to describe what he did.”
A GoFundMe page said Adam Ghekiere’s 15-year-old son Landon, who was set to enter his sophomore year of high school, was “looking forward to getting his driver’s license this week and was a patient, protective, and loving big brother.”
On the left, an undated photo provided by Erica Schneider shows, Owen Ireland, front, Landon Ghekiere, center, Charlotte Ghekiere, back left, and Chloe Ireland, back right in helmet. On the right, a photo provided by Brad Ireland shows his daughter, 7-year-old Chloe Ireland. (Erica Schneider via AP; Brad Ireland via AP)
“Charlotte was 12 and preparing to begin seventh grade. Funny, precocious, and adorable — with just the right amount of stubborn — Charlotte had an angelic smile and loved posing for pictures,” it added.
