Several people killed in shooting and house fire in Montana
In Billings, Montana, several people, including children, were killed during a shooting at a residential house where a fire also broke out. Police described the case as a family incident, The Guardian reports.
Shooting and fire
According to Billings police, at around 6 p.m. on Sunday, law enforcement received a report of a shooter at a house in the western part of the city. An officer who arrived at the scene heard gunshots coming from the rear of the house and then saw that the house was fully engulfed in flames.
The suspect was found near the house with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Victim details not disclosed
Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell said at a press conference that all people targeted in the shooting were killed. According to him, the victims include several adults and several minors.
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The identities of those killed have already been established, but authorities have not yet released their names, ages, or the exact number of victims. As of Tuesday morning, officials confirmed only that several people, including children, had died.
Firefighters arrived at the scene but waited for police officers to secure the area. Billings Fire Department Chief Matt Hoppel said that the delay and limited access complicated firefighting efforts, while the fire intensified.
O’Donnell noted that the fire and the water used to extinguish it would slow the collection of evidence at the scene. Authorities have not yet disclosed the motive for the shooting or the cause of the fire. Residents were urged to avoid the area, where evidence collection is ongoing.
