Nine Dead in Erie Residential Shooting, Police Say
Nine people, including the suspected gunman, died in a shooting at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday, according to local police. The dead included two children and a pregnant woman.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said the suspected shooter was a 45-year-old man who was related to seven of the eight other people killed. The eighth victim was a friend of the pregnant woman. Police have not identified a motive.
Investigators recovered video and audio evidence indicating that two distressed women arrived at the home shortly before 5 p.m. and pounded on the door, Lorah said. The gunman came outside and shot them before returning to the house, according to police.
Responding officers found the two women dead outside. Inside, they found a five-year-old boy, a one-year-old girl, two women, two young men and the suspected shooter. Authorities said all nine people had died before officers arrived.
Police were alerted through ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system, and reached the scene within minutes, city officials said. The city also said no shots were fired after officers arrived. Sounds during the police response that some people may have taken for gunfire were flash bangs used by law enforcement, officials said.
Lorah said investigators plan to speak with other relatives and examine the cellphones of the women found outside the home. He said the women appeared to know something was happening there, but investigators had not determined what prompted them to come to the house.
The chief described the scale of the deaths as unlike anything he had encountered in more than 28 years of police work. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he had offered his administration’s full support to Erie Mayor Daria Devlin.
Authorities had released few additional details about the circumstances of the shooting. Their investigation remained focused on establishing the sequence of events and determining what led to the deaths.