Multiple people, including children, killed in Montana home shooting and fire
Several people, including children, were killed on Sunday evening when a home in Billings, Montana was hit by gunfire and later engulfed in flames. The suspect was found outside with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died in hospital.
Around 6pm on Sunday, police in Billings, Montana responded to a report of a shooter at a home in the city's west end. An officer arriving at the scene heard gunfire coming from the back of the house, then saw the home fully engulfed in flames.
Firefighters were held back until officers secured the scene, and crews may also have faced problems accessing water. Billings fire chief Matt Hoppel said at a Monday news conference that the delay and limited access allowed conditions to worsen until the residence was consumed by fire.
Yellowstone county sheriff Kent O'Donnell confirmed that everyone targeted in the shooting had died, including multiple adults and multiple juveniles. He said the victims had been identified, but their number, names and ages would not be released immediately. O'Donnell said he had met with family members from both sides of the case. An online fundraiser for two victims identified as minors, cited by several media outlets, claimed eight people were killed in total, though this figure has not been officially confirmed.
The suspect was found outside the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was taken to hospital, where he later died. Police described the incident as a family disturbance. A motive has not been disclosed, nor has an explanation for how the fire started. Authorities have asked the public to stay away from the scene while evidence collection continues and said a further update was expected on Wednesday.
Part of a wider pattern
The Montana case follows a shooting in rural Forest Grove, Oregon, in which five people from one family were killed, allegedly by a man who then died by suicide. If the toll from the Montana shooting is confirmed, the number of mass murders recorded in the US so far this year would rise to 17, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass murder as an incident with four or more victims. Many such cases fall under the category of family annihilation, in which multiple close relatives are killed, most often by an armed male family member.
