ERIE, Pennsylvania — A 45-year-old man shot and killed eight people at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania — including two children and a pregnant woman — before apparently taking his own life, authorities said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States this year.
FAKTA: Erie, Pennsylvania mass shooting
- What: Mass shooting at a residence on Perry Street in Erie, Pennsylvania
- When: Friday evening, around 5 p.m. local time; full details released at a police press conference on Saturday
- Death toll: Nine — eight victims plus the suspected shooter, who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound
- Victims: Two children, four women — one of them pregnant — and two young men
- Suspect: A 45-year-old man, related to seven of the eight victims; he has not yet been identified by name
- Motive: Under investigation; police say it is too early to discuss
What happened on Perry Street
Police were called to a home on Perry Street at around 5 p.m. Friday after witnesses reported seeing a man firing a gun before he entered the home.
Video evidence showed that two women arrived at the residence in distress, seeking help from nearby neighbours, Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said at Saturday’s press conference. Muffled gunshots were then heard from inside the home, and the footage showed the man shoot the women and retreat back inside.
When police arrived, they found the two women dead outside the home. Officers then deployed a robot and observed more victims inside who appeared to have died from earlier gunshots. The suspected shooter was found dead on the second floor of the home with a firearm on him, of what police described as an apparent self-inflicted wound.
Eight of the victims were family
The victims included a toddler girl, a five-year-old boy, four women — one of them pregnant — and two young men aged 19 and 21, according to police and local media reports. Eight of the nine who died were family members, and one was a family friend — a friend of the pregnant woman, police said.
The shooter was related to seven of the eight victims, Chief Lorah said. No names have been released so far, and investigators have not yet established a motive.
“Some scenes stay with you long after you leave them. This is one of those tragic scenes,” Lorah said at the press conference. “Out of respect for the victims and the families, I will not discuss the details of what our officers encountered inside that home. But I want our community to understand the gravity of what happened.”
The chief said investigators would interview other relatives and examine the cellphones of the two women killed outside the home. “They knew something was going on at that house,” he said. “We have to figure out what that is.”
Police response and investigation
Police were alerted by a gunshot-detection system and officers arrived within minutes, Lorah said. No additional shots were fired after police arrived, and there was no gunfire exchanged with responding officers — loud bangs heard by residents were flash-bangs used by the police tactical team.
“When we arrived on scene, we did not hear a gunshot. We did not hear a cry for help. We did not see movement inside,” Lorah said. “All of the deaths happened before officers arrived on scene.”
The investigation remains active, and the chief declined to discuss a motive, saying it was too soon. He said officers met “an eerie silence” when they reached the home.
Officials respond
Erie Mayor Daria Devlin said the police department “arrived at a horrific scene, faced unimaginable circumstances, and carried out their duties with courage and professionalism.”
“They too are members of this community, and they too will carry the weight of what happened last night,” the mayor said.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said in a statement that he had spoken with Mayor Devlin and had offered support following “the tragic mass shooting.”
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