A 12-year-old girl has been hailed as a hero after she tried desperately to save her family during a Montana mass shooting that left 8 dead.
The attack occurred outside Billings at a home owned by victims Dana Smith, 73, and Barbara Smith, 72, police said. They were killed, as were Megan Ireland-Ghekiere, 39, and children, Owen Ireland, 13; Chloe Ireland, 7; Landon Ghekiere, 15; and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12. Ninety-two-year-old Evelyn Smith also died, authorities said.
Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell identified the shooter as Alan Michael Smith, 44. Smith was found dead as authorities sought the killer. He was the son of Dana and Barbara, grandson of Evelyn, sister of Megan and uncle to Chloe and Owen. Megan was step-mother to Landon and Charlotte.
Charlotte was described as a hero by neighbor Jennifer Mercer.
“The one thing we do know is that Charlotte was the hero,” Mercer said. “Charlotte called 911, and she tried to save her family. And that’s something the family does want out there.”
open image in galleryIn a GoFundMe campaign, Charlotte was described as “funny, precocious and adorable, with just the right amount of stubborn.”
Charlotte’s 15-year-old brother, Landon, was described as a “loving, caring young man who was always willing to lend a hand to his family and neighbors.”
“He was looking forward to getting his driver’s license this week and was a patient, protective, and loving big brother,” the page, which Mercer launched to cover funeral expenses, read.
open image in galleryAt the press conference, O’Donnell confirmed Landon and Charlotte’s step-siblings, Chloe and Owen Ireland, had been killed.
Speaking to reporters, O’Donnell shared more details about the shooting, stating that the suspect, Alan Smith, arrived in the neighborhood at around 5.49 p.m on Sunday, with Charlotte calling 911 just after 6 p.m.
open image in galleryOfficers confronted Alan Smith, the shooter, but the man ran back inside, with officers hearing gunfire shortly after. Smoke soon began to appear in the home, with Smith suffering what is believed to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The house was soon engulfed in flames.
The Associated Press reported that Alan Smith had been asked to move out of the house shortly before the shooting.
open image in galleryO’Donnell said that police had recovered weapons from the scene but did not detail the ones used by Smith to carry out the killings.
As the investigation continues, a memorial has been established near the home with neighbors and classmates leaving messages to the victims in a notebook at the site.
“I don’t think he expected my kids to be there,” Adam Ghekiere, Charlotte and Landon’s father, told The AP of Smith. “Monster isn’t even enough to describe what he did.
open image in galleryGhekiere also confirmed that Charlotte was the one to call the police.
“I keep hearing her quote to me every time I would say ‘I love you’ and she would say ‘I love you more,’” he said.
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