A man identified as Alan Smith, 44, is suspected of killing seven people, including his sister Megan Ghekiere, her four children, and their parents, Barbara and Dana Smith, before setting fire to their $900,000 Billings, Montana home on Sunday night. The shooter then died by suicide. The victims also included Megan’s grandmother, Evelyn Smith, 92.
The incident occurred around 6 p.m. Sunday when gunfire erupted at the family residence. Authorities have not officially released the names of all victims but confirmed four children and four adults, including the shooter, died in the attack. The motive remains under investigation, though media reports suggest the parents had recently asked Smith to move out of their home.
Megan Ghekiere, who previously blogged about her family life, was visiting her parents for a weekly family dinner with her current husband Adam Ghekiere and her children Owen, 13, and Chloe, 7, and her stepchildren, Landon and Charlotte Ghekiere. Adam Ghekiere, a firefighter, was not present at the time of the attack but was alerted via fire department communications.
"I tried calling the house and no one answered. I checked my kids' locations, both Landon and Charlotte, and no one answered," Adam Ghekiere told The US Sun. "By the time we got to the house, they wouldn't let us get any closer because it was still under an active shooter status. I feared the worst right then."
Police received a 911 call reporting shots fired and an unconscious child inside the home. Responding officers arrived approximately 10 minutes later to find the residence fully engulfed in flames and heard further gunshots from within. Alan Smith was later found outside the burning house with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and died at a hospital.
Billings Fire Department Chief Matt Hoppel noted that limited access and the absence of fire hydrants in the area presented significant challenges for firefighters, allowing the blaze to consume the residence.
Megan Ghekiere, formerly Megan Ireland, started a blog called "The Ireland Adventure" in 2010, documenting her early married life with her first husband, Brad Ireland. She wrote about hiking, traveling, and starting a family, welcoming a son, Owen, in 2013, and a daughter, Chloe, in 2018. In a 2013 blog post, she expressed gratitude for her brother Alan, noting he had overcome a difficult period in his life and found stable employment.
Brad Ireland told The New York Post that there were warning signs regarding Alan Smith’s behavior, stating, "There were many red flags and many people spoke out. No one listened." He described Smith as often staying in his room alone with his computer and being unable to hold down a job.
Megan Ghekiere later divorced Brad Ireland in 2020 and married Adam Ghekiere. Her widower has referred to the shooter as a "monster."
During the 911 call, Charlotte Ghekiere, Adam's 12-year-old daughter, reportedly attempted to alert authorities from inside the home. A family friend, Jennifer Mercer, called Charlotte a "hero" for her actions.
The investigation into the events leading up to the shooting and the cause of the fire is being conducted by the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office and other agencies.