A Montana man killed eight of his relatives, including four children, as they gathered for Sunday dinner before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to authorities and a family member. Alan Smith, 44, had been asked by his parents to move out, but he returned to the home outside Billings on Sunday and opened fire, according to Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead. Smith killed his grandmother, his parents, his younger sister, and the four children before setting the house on fire, Ireland told The .
Smith tried to flee before being confronted by law enforcement, Ireland added. Police responded to the home on Sunday evening and heard gunshots coming from the back, just before the house was completely engulfed in flames. Investigators confirmed on Tuesday there were eight victims, and that the suspect had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died.
The victims spanned four generations of the blended family, ranging from a seven-year-old girl to a great-grandmother in her 90s who used a wheelchair, according to neighbor and family friend Jennifer Mercer. Newsweek contacted the Billings Police Department for comment via email outside of regular business hours. This is a developing story.
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