8 dead, including 4 children, following shooting and fire at Montana home

Eight people, including four children, are believed to have been killed at a home in Montana where a shooting and fire occurred following a "family disturbance," police said.

The "unimaginable tragedy" unfolded at a residence in Billings on Sunday, according to police. Law enforcement responded to the home shortly after 6 p.m. after receiving a 911 call of an "active shooting event" and heard gunfire upon arrival, Billings Assistant Chief Shawn Mayo said. The house had also become fully engulfed in flames, he said.

Four adults and four children are believed to have been killed, with efforts underway to safely recover the victims' remains from the fire-ravaged home, Billings police said Tuesday.

A suspect in the incident is also dead, police said. A man observed by responding officers in the backyard of the home was taken into custody and transported with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to a hospital, where he died, police said.

"We believe it started out as a family disturbance," Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O'Donnell said during a press briefing on Monday.

No additional people are being sought in connection with the incident, and there is believed to be no continued threat to the community, police said.

Authorities have not released the names or ages of the victims and suspect.

Mayo referred to the incident during Monday's press briefing as a "tragedy for a Billings family and the community as a whole."
As firefighters responded to the home, the situation "quickly became a very complex and dangerous incident," Billings Fire Chief Matt Hoppel said during Monday's briefing.

"Upon arrival, crews were confronted with an active scene involving reports of gunfire and a residence that was on fire," he said. "Crews had to coordinate closely with law enforcement and operate from positions that balanced the urgent need for fire suppression with a very real threat to responders' safety."

The residence became consumed by fire amid challenging conditions that also included a lack of fire hydrants within the subdivision, he said.

"This was an extremely difficult and dynamic scene, and our responders were required to make critical decisions in an environment where conditions and information were changing rapidly," Hoppel said.

The cause and origin of the fire will be investigated once the scene is safe, he said.

The homicide investigation is being conducted by Yellowstone County in partnership with the Billings Police Department and multiple local, state and federal agencies, police said.

"These agencies are working collaboratively to ensure the investigation is thorough, accurate, and handled with the care this tragedy demands," the Billings Police Department said.