Billings community shaken after eight killed during Sunday dinner and house fire
Eight relatives—spanning four generations, including four children—were killed at a Billings home when 44-year-old Alan Smith opened fire during a Sunday dinner, then set the house ablaze; Smith died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A 12-year-old girl, Charlotte Ireland, called 911 before the blaze, and investigators noted the fire spread quickly in a subdivision without fire hydrants. The family had recently relocated from Seattle, and the community mourns as the investigation continues.