Nine Dead in Erie, Pennsylvania, Shooting
Nine people, including a suspected gunman, died in a shooting at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday, October 9, 2026, police said. The eight people killed included two young children and a woman who was eight months pregnant. Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said eight of the nine people who died, including the suspect, were related; the other was a family friend.
Police received a ShotSpotter alert reporting two gunshots on the 700 block of Perry Street at about 4:53 p.m. Officers arrived roughly three minutes later and found two women, ages 51 and 37, dead outside the house. According to Lorah, neighboring doorbell footage showed the women seeking help before the suspect came outside and shot them.
Inside, officers found a 5-year-old boy and a girl aged 1 year and 10 months on the first floor. A 24-year-old woman, a 44-year-old woman, a 19-year-old man and a 21-year-old man were found upstairs or in a stairwell. Police found the 45-year-old suspect dead on the second floor, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Lorah said investigators believe all eight victims were killed before police arrived and that the suspect also died before officers reached the scene. A registered .40-caliber handgun was recovered from his person. Police used drones and a robot to assess the home before entering. Lorah said officers heard no indications that anyone inside remained alive or in immediate danger.
Officials said there was no continuing threat to the public. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro offered state support to the city, while Erie Mayor Daria Devlin said local officials were coordinating trauma services for affected residents. The city said its response includes healthcare providers, crisis services and local area schools. The police department’s Criminal Investigations Division is continuing its investigation. Authorities have not announced a motive for the shooting.