A man killed seven of his relatives before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in what authorities are investigating as a mass murder in Billings, Montana. The victims included his sister, Megan Ireland-Ghekiere, 39, her two children, Chloe Ireland, 7, and Owen Ireland, 13, and her husband Adam Ghekiere's two children from a previous relationship, Charlotte Ghekiere, 12, and Landon Ghekiere, 15.
Also killed in the incident were Megan Ireland-Ghekiere's parents, Barbara Smith, 72, and Dana Smith, 73, and her grandmother, Evelyn Smith, 92. The assailant, identified as Alan Smith, was Megan Ireland-Ghekiere's brother and the son of Barbara and Dana Smith.
According to friends, Megan Ireland-Ghekiere had been making plans for a Christmas visit with her best friend just hours before the killings. She had sent a video message discussing plans to see "The Nutcracker" with her friend, her mother, and her daughter. Her husband, Adam Ghekiere, reportedly called his friend when he discovered the house on fire and was unsure if anyone had survived.
Cops have not yet released an official motive for the Sunday massacre. The victims were found in the Billings home, which was reportedly on fire.
Megan Ireland-Ghekiere and her friend Kelsey Garland had been inseparable since childhood, communicating daily via video messaging. Garland described her friend as "kind-hearted" and "wonderful."