‘Billings is hurting with you,’ speaker tells family of shooting victims

Hundreds of people gathered in Billings at sundown Thursday to pay tribute to the eight victims of a mass shooting and house fire earlier this week. 

Cars were parked bumper-to-bumper on the streets surrounding Veterans Park, as  volunteers handed out candles and classmates stood with their arms over each other’s shoulders, waiting for the program to begin. Poster-sized portraits of each person killed were displayed in front of the stage. 

They met to honor the family members who died Sunday in a home west of Billings: Evelyn Smith, 92; Dana Smith, 73; Barbara Smith, 72; Megan Ireland-Ghekiere, 39; Owen Ireland, 13; Chloe Ireland, 7; Landon Ghekiere, 15; and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12.

Authorities say the gunman, Alan Smith, 44, was the grandson, son, brother and uncle of the victims. He killed himself after deputies arrived. 

The event Thursday night drew a cross-section of Billings, including clergy, law enforcement and teachers. The city helped sponsor the night, contributing the stage and other equipment. Billings Clinic, Intermountain Health and RiverStone Health all had tables staffed with crisis counselors and chaplains. 

Speakers remembered the personalities and quirks of those killed, and celebrated the strength of the community’s response. 

Justin Hutchinson, a popular Billings radio show host known on-air as “McLovin,” said he wasn’t acquainted with any of the victims but had since learned a bit about each.

“To the [surviving] family, I know there’s nothing I can say tonight to make this hurt any less,” he said. “But I hope when you look around this park tonight, you see what we all see. You see a community. You see people who showed up. And you see a whole lot of people who may not have known your family five days ago, but who know their names tonight, and who will carry them with us. Billings is hurting with you. And tonight we stand with you.”

Authorities believe multiple fires were started inside the home before deputies arrived. The home is located outside the city limits in a subdivision with no fire hydrants, which slowed and complicated firefighters’ work. 

Authorities at a press briefing Wednesday said they weren’t yet able to specify a cause of death for the victims. They said gunfire was heard on the 911 call, the house was engulfed in smoke when they arrived, and more gunfire was heard inside the home before Alan Smith left out the back door and shot himself. 

Speakers thanked law enforcement for their response to the shooting and fire, and for updating the family daily about the investigation. The Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office is the lead investigating agency. 

Each of the victims was eulogized. 

Ann Lewis was the massage therapist for Dana Smith. The crowd laughed in appreciation at her remarks, even as she wept.

Lewis said she first started working with Megan Ireland-Ghekiere, who then referred her dad, Dana Smith, to Lewis for massage. Ireland-Ghekiere gave her some advice: “Don’t talk about politics or COVID, and you’ll be fine.” 

Lewis said she and Dana Smith respected each other. 

“He was a grumpy old man, despite the fact he looked like Santa Claus, which he hated being told,” Lewis said. “But he loved his wife unconditionally and vice versa, for many years. God bless her for putting up with him.”

Evelyn Smith “loved pink, and she was a little bit girly,” according to Shawna Boatman, executive director of Highgate Senior Living, where Evelyn Smith lived. She also had a sweet tooth, multiple speakers said. She liked candy, chocolate and cherry pie. 

The mother of Charlotte and Landon Ghekiere, Erica Jarussi Schneider, spoke at the end of the night. She said her children were “polar opposites in personalities,” but both showed affection easily and joked with sarcasm— “especially at my expense,” Schneider said. 

“Every single part of who they were makes me incredibly proud,” she said. “In their last moments, they showed unbelievable amounts of bravery. Charlotte made the call to 911 in attempt to save her family. And we now know Landon passed away while trying to protect Charlotte. And I am comforted to know that they were together when they passed away.” 

Schneider said she also took comfort knowing her kids knew how much she and others loved them. 

“I could not be more honored to be their mom,” she said. “There is nowhere I can go where I don’t have cherished memories with my babies. And sadly, I know the hardest part is yet to come: learning to accept that I will never see them walk through the front door. I will never hear their bedroom doors open and see them come down the stairs. I will forever have to walk by their bedrooms knowing they will never be in there, never hearing their voices, and knowing I will never be called ‘Mom’ again. There are no more milestones to celebrate, birthdays, proms, graduations, weddings and babies. They will forever be 15 and 12. So to my babies, I will leave you with this: I love you forever, I like you for always, as long as I’m living, my babies you’ll be.”

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, the 988 hotline is available 24/7 by phone, text message, online chat or video phone.