Family speak out after Montana man kills 8 relatives, including four children at Sunday dinner
A man has allegedly killed eight of his relatives at a Sunday dinner, leaving a family in mourning.
The crime reportedly occurred in Billings, Montana, which saw a man murder those inside the home before taking his own life.
According to the authorities, officers had responded to the home on Sunday (August 23) and were there when they heard gunshots coming from the back of the property.
Then, the home went up in flames.
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Believing it to be a murder-suicide, police said: “To protect the integrity of this ongoing investigation and the recovery efforts currently underway, no additional information will be released at this time.”
“This is a complex process,” they added, per NBC.
According to CBS News, family members have identified the victims as Megan Ghekiere; her 13-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son; and her 15-year-old stepson and 12-year-old stepdaughter, whom she shared with her current husband.
Ghekiere's parents Barb and Dana Smith were also among the victims, along with her grandmother, Evelyn Smith, who was in her 90s.
Another family member, who is the man suspected of opening fire before he died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, has not been identified by officials.
Adam Ghekiere - who lost his wife Megan and two children in the suspected murder-suicide - was at work at an airshow and when he heard there had been an incident in the neighborhood.
“I tried calling the house and no one answered. I checked my kids’ locations, both Landon and Charlotte, and no one answered. I called Megan’s cellphone too.” he told The 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.”
He went on to share that his kids being there may have surprised the killer, as they didn’t usually visit their grandparents on a Sunday for dinner.
"I don’t think the shooter expected my kids to be there,” Ghekiere told the Associated Press.
A family friend, Jennifer Mercer, who set up a fundraising page for the family, told Billings Gazette reporters that Adam's eldest daughter made the call telling a dispatcher about a shooting, which led to police to visit the home.
Mercer said: "She tried to save her family. And her mom and dad both agreed she lived by her favorite quote: 'I love you more.'"
Firefighters revealed the situation was problematic due to a limited number of fire hydrants.
“The delay in limited access presented significant challenges, fire conditions continued to worsen, and the residents ultimately became ... consumed by fire,” Billings Fire Chief Matt Hoppel said at a news conference on Monday (August 24).
Officials have since revealed it could take days to determine what led up to the shooting, and say it’ll take some time to canvass the scene as it would be ‘reckless’ to send investigators into the house where they could damage evidence.
“When the fire was observed in the structure, fire suppression efforts took priority as the fire blocked any reasonable attempt to rescue or recover victims,” Billings Police Department Assistant Chief Shawn Mayo said at the press conference.
Britt Jones