Nine Killed in Erie, Pennsylvania Mass Shooting, Including Two Children; Coroner Rules Deaths Homicides
A 45-year-old man killed eight people — including two children and a woman who was eight months pregnant — at a home on Perry Street in Erie, Pennsylvania, before dying of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said Saturday.
Nine people are dead after a mass shooting at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday evening, including two children and a woman who was eight months pregnant, authorities said. The suspected gunman, a 45-year-old man, was found dead inside the home of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Erie police said eight of the nine people who died were related to one another, including the suspected shooter, and the ninth was a family friend. The Erie County coroner ruled the deaths of six adults, two children, and one adult woman’s unborn child as homicides and the shooter’s death as suicide.
Officers responded to the 700 block of Perry Street at 4:52 p.m. Friday after a ShotSpotter alert and reports of gunfire, according to Police Chief Rick Lorah. They arrived within about three minutes and found two women — ages 51 and 37 — fatally wounded outside the residence.
Inside the house, officers found a 5-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl on the first floor, and four more victims in a stairwell on the second floor: a 24-year-old woman, a 44-year-old woman, a 19-year-old man, and a 21-year-old man. The suspected shooter was found dead on the second floor with a firearm registered to him.
Investigators determined that all of the deaths occurred before officers arrived, Lorah said. No gunfire was heard after police set up a perimeter; sounds heard during the response were flash-bangs used by law enforcement’s tactical team.
Officials release details at Saturday briefing
At a Saturday afternoon news conference, Lorah said the victims found inside lived at the home, while the two women found outside did not — one was a family friend and the other a sister-in-law of one of the victims. A neighbor’s report of a man shooting the two women outside helped police identify the suspect.
Lorah said it was too early to determine a motive, though he said mental health could be a factor and noted police had previous contact with the suspect, with the last interaction he could recall in 2022. “There are no words that can adequately express the magnitude of the loss of life here,” the chief said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said he spoke with Erie Mayor Daria Devlin and offered his administration’s full support. “My heart breaks for this family. Lori and I are praying for their loved ones and the entire Erie community,” Shapiro said. About 175 people gathered Saturday evening for a vigil outside the home, where the aunt of the 22-month-old victim spoke of her niece.
Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz said her office is working with police on the investigation, which remains active. The coroner’s office is working to confirm the identities of the deceased.
Reporting based on coverage by USA Today and the Erie Times-News.
