Multiple adults and children were killed Sunday evening in a shooting at a Billings home that became engulfed in flames while police and firefighters were responding, leaving Montana authorities with a multiple homicide investigation and a residence extensively damaged by fire.
The incident began at approximately 6:01 p.m. August 23 at 315 White Star Circle on the western side of Billings. Emergency dispatchers received a 911 call reporting a shooting, and gunfire could be heard in the background. Authorities have described the circumstances preceding the shooting as a family disturbance but have not disclosed what caused the confrontation or identified the relationships among those involved.
The first Billings police officer arrived at approximately 6:12 p.m. Additional gunfire was reported from behind the residence, and smoke became visible about three minutes later. Firefighters could not immediately approach the house while the shooting scene remained unsecured, allowing the fire to spread before crews could fully begin suppression operations.
Firefighters also encountered limited access to water because an immediately available municipal hydrant was not present at the property. Water was transported to the scene by truck, and crews ultimately prevented the flames from spreading to neighboring homes. The residence was destroyed, while surrounding properties sustained some heat damage.
Authorities located a male outside the residence suffering from an apparently self inflicted gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital at approximately 6:48 p.m. and later died. Investigators believe he was responsible for the shootings. No additional suspect is being sought, and the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office has said there is no continuing threat to the public.
Interim Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell has confirmed that multiple adults and multiple children died. Investigators have identified the people involved, including the suspected shooter, but authorities had not publicly released the official number of victims, their names or their ages as of Tuesday morning.
The Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation with assistance from Billings police, Montana Highway Patrol, Montana State University Billings Police, Billings Fire Department, Airport Fire, Laurel Fire Department and personnel from neighboring counties.
Investigators have not publicly established a motive or determined the cause of the fire. Authorities also have not said whether the blaze was deliberately started or how its origin relates to the sequence of shootings. The extensive fire damage is requiring investigators to examine the property while separately determining how the victims died and how the fire began.
Federal participation has not been publicly confirmed. As of Tuesday morning, neither the FBI nor the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had publicly announced involvement in the White Star Circle investigation. Local and Montana authorities remain publicly identified as the agencies handling the case.
Additional information is expected from Yellowstone County authorities Wednesday, August 26. The next release could provide the official death toll, victim identities and further information about the suspected shooter and the circumstances surrounding the killings.
The Montana investigation follows another multiple homicide discovered Saturday outside Forest Grove, Oregon. Washington County authorities identified five people killed at a rural property as Mary Elizabeth Kimsey, 85, Rowan Karla Kimsey, 60, Stella Jade Kimsey, 26, Linsey Mae Haraldsen, 26, and Alvin Raymond Chu, 27. Authorities identified Benjamin Charles Parker, 36, as the suspect. Parker was later found dead inside his vehicle in Enumclaw, Washington, in what investigators believe was a suicide.
Authorities have established no connection between the Oregon and Montana cases. Both investigations involve multiple deaths at residential properties, fire associated with the crime scenes and suspected perpetrators who were subsequently found dead or mortally wounded from apparently self-inflicted injuries. The cases remain separate investigations involving different jurisdictions, victims and circumstances.