Pregnant Woman, Two Children Among Nine Killed In Pennsylvania Home Shooting
Erie, Pennsylvania: Nine people, including a suspected gunman, were killed in a shooting at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, police said on Saturday. The dead included a pregnant woman, two young children and several relatives of the 45-year-old suspect, who authorities said apparently took his own life after shooting eight people on Friday, Associated Press reported.
Erie Police chief Rick Lorah told reporters that seven of the eight people killed in Friday’s shooting were related to the gunman. The remaining victim was a friend of the pregnant woman.
According to the chief, investigators recovered video and audio recordings that captured muffled gunfire from within the house moments before two visibly distressed women reached the property and began banging on its door shortly before 5 p.m. on Friday. The man then stepped outside and opened fire on the women as they ran in his direction, before going back into the home.
When officers reached the scene, both women were found dead outdoors. Using a drone and a robot to assess the situation, police later entered the residence and discovered the bodies of a five-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl on the ground floor. Two other women and two young men were found dead in a stairwell, while the suspected shooter’s body was located upstairs.
“Out of respect for the victims and the families, I will not discuss the details of what our officers encountered inside that home,” Lorah said at a news conference. “But I want our community to understand the gravity of what happened and the profound impact this tragedy has had on those involved and on our community as a whole.”
The police chief did not reveal a possible motive. He said detectives planned to speak with additional family members and review the mobile phones belonging to the two women who were killed outside, adding that investigators believed they may have been aware of trouble at the residence.
“They knew something was going on at that house,” Lorah said. “We have to figure out what that is.”
Officers reached the location within minutes after receiving an alert from ShotSpotter, an AI-backed gunshot detection network that uses microphones to identify gunfire. Lorah said no further gunshots were heard after police arrived.
“Sounds that may have been mistaken for gunfire came from flashbang devices — chemical munitions — used by SWAT officers,” he said.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said his administration had extended “full support” to Erie Mayor Daria Devlin, who addressed the victims’ relatives at the news conference.
“I am so deeply sorry. What happened to you was horrific, and there is nothing that any of us can say today that will make this any easier,” she said. “But you do need to know that our entire community is with you, we’re grieving with you. And we are here to support you.”
Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz appealed to residents to avoid speculation while investigators continue their work.
“Please do not allow rumors, speculation or unverified information to add to the pain that these families are already experiencing,” she said.
Erie lies roughly 120 miles north of Pittsburgh.
At a campaign event outside Philadelphia, Shapiro referred to both the Erie killings and an early-morning shooting that left two Philadelphia police officers wounded.
“Today has been a dark day across this commonwealth,” he said.