Family IDs victims in Meridian house fire, police shooting

Family members say they have positively identified two people who died after a fire broke out Wednesday night in a house the 1500 block of Amity Road, south of Meridian.

The Idaho Statesman reports Michele and Patrice McAlister have identified the victims as 54-year-old Scott McAlister (pictured) and his mother, 84-year-old Carmen Abbott, the sisters' uncle and grandmother.

Officials say Abbott was found dead at the scene. McAlister later died at the Salt Lake City Burn Center, where he had been airlifted.

Scott McAlister’s wife, Lily, survived.

The fire broke out late Wednesday after a home invasion was reported at the residence.

Police shot an armed suspect who later retreated into the home. The house caught fire a short time later.

The Ada County Coroner has not yet identified any of the three victims.

The Ada County Sheriff's says it strongly believes a third person who died in the fire may be the home invasion suspect.

Police said Friday they found no connection between the victims and the suspect.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

(Associated Press contributed to this report)