BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A man killed eight of his relatives, including four children, at a Sunday dinner at a home in Billings, Montana, before taking his own life, a spokesperson for the family told The Associated Press.
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Jennifer Mercer, who set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral costs and other expenses and was authorized to release details, identified the victims as representing four generations of the blended family, ranging from a great-grandmother in her 90s to a 7-year-old girl.
Police said they responded to the home on Sunday evening and heard gunshots coming from out back, just before the house was completely engulfed in flames. They confirmed multiple fatalities, including one person with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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David Hiller, a neighbor who lives three doors down from the home, heard what he thought were fireworks just after 6 p.m. on Sunday, and didn’t think much of the noise until another neighbor called to warn him about a shooting on the cul-de-sac.
Hiller then rushed outside to find police in tactical gear sheltering behind vehicles, some with long guns, while plumes of black smoke rose from the home.
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