Multiple dead, including children, in Montana shooting and house fire
A gunman killed multiple people, including children, at a Billings, Montana home before setting the house on fire and taking his own life. Local authorities are currently investigating the incident, which they described as a family disturbance.
Why it matters
This incident highlights the ongoing issue of domestic violence and mass shootings in the United States, as well as the challenges emergency responders face in rural or suburban settings.
Multiple people, including children, died when a gunman opened fire at a Billings, Montana, home that was then set alight, authorities said Monday. Police characterized the incident Sunday evening near the city’s West End neighborhood as a family disturbance. The gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot, NBC affiliate KULR of Billings reported. Interim Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell said at a news conference Monday that “multiple adults and multiple juveniles” died at the residence. The dead have been identified, he said, but the number of those killed, their names and their ages will not be released for now. “Because of the fire and obviously water that goes to suppress that fire, it’s going to slow our investigation of the crime scene recovery of evidence,” he said. “So we ask for patience as we complete this investigation.” A possible motive was not available Monday.
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