Billings news from Sunday evening centers on a White Star Circle home in Billings’ West End, where police responded after 6 p.m. to a report of shots fired and then found the residence fully engulfed in flames. One person was taken to a hospital with injuries, and nearby homes on the block were evacuated.
Billings police Sgt. Jeff Stovall said officers were able to verify that shots were being fired from inside the residence. The fire started at some point during the incident and quickly took over the house, leaving officers, firefighters and medical personnel working an active scene as night fell.
White Star Circle response
The response drew the Billings Police Department, Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office, Montana Highway Patrol, Billings Fire Department and medical personnel to the area. Police said the scene remained active Sunday night, and the investigation could take several days as officers and fire crews worked through what happened inside the home and around it.
David Hiller, who lives a few houses away, said he received a call from a neighbor, heard gunshots and livestreamed video of the fire on his social media account. He said, “We could hear gunshots,” and added, “I looked in my backyard, and there were like sheriffs in my backyard, my neighbor's backyard. They're running around with long guns.”
He later said, “It was just like black plumes of smoke, and then a full-on fire erupted,” and, “We don't know what happened. We think we saw a body out front of the house that looked unresponsive.” Police had not released information about any fatalities as of Sunday night.
Billings’ West End scene
Marlon Duke said he came outside after seeing smoke and learning there was an incident nearby. He said, “This is a quiet neighborhood,” and, “And it’s just kind of shocking to see something like this happen in the neighborhood.”
The evacuation kept nearby residents out of harm’s way while investigators worked a block that had already shifted from a shots-fired call to a fire scene. What caused the shots to be fired inside the home and the fire that followed is the question police are still working through.
