ERIE, Pennsylvania, Oct 10 – Eight people, including a pregnant woman and two young children, were killed in a shooting at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, before the suspected gunman also died by suicide, authorities said Saturday. Police are continuing to investigate what led to the deadly violence, which claimed nine lives in total and left relatives and the wider community mourning.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said the 45-year-old suspect was related to seven of the eight victims. The remaining victim was a friend of the pregnant woman. Investigators have not disclosed a motive, and authorities are examining evidence to establish what happened inside the residence before officers arrived on Friday afternoon.
According to Lorah, investigators recovered video and audio evidence containing muffled gunshot sounds from inside the home. Shortly before 5 p.m. Friday, two women arrived at the property appearing distressed and began pounding on the door. The suspect subsequently came outside and shot the women as they ran toward him, the police chief said. He then returned inside the residence.
Officers responding to the incident found both women dead outside the house. Police had received an alert from ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system that uses a network of microphones and technology incorporating artificial intelligence to identify possible gunfire. The system has generated controversy over questions surrounding its accuracy and use by law enforcement.
Lorah said officers reached the scene within minutes of receiving the alert. Because the situation inside the house remained uncertain, police deployed a drone and a robotic device before entering the building.
Inside, officers discovered the bodies of six additional victims and the suspected shooter. A 5-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl were found on the first floor, while two women and two young men were located in a stairwell. The suspect was found on the second floor.
The police chief declined to provide further details about the condition of the victims or the precise circumstances officers encountered inside the house. He said authorities were mindful of the families’ suffering and wanted the public to understand the scale of the tragedy without releasing details that could add to their distress.
“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 Saturday. He added that the incident had profoundly affected both those directly involved and the Erie community.
Authorities also addressed reports of additional sounds that may have been interpreted as gunfire during the police response. Lorah said those sounds came from flashbang devices, which are chemical munitions used by tactical officers, including members of SWAT teams. He said no further shots were fired after the initial shooting.
Investigators are now working to determine what prompted the violence and whether there were warning signs before the attack. Lorah said police planned to speak with other family members and examine the cellphones belonging to the two women who were killed outside the residence.
The women may have known that something was happening inside the house before they arrived, the chief said, making their circumstances an important part of the investigation.
“They knew something was going on at that house,” Lorah said. “We have to figure out what that is.”
Police have not publicly identified a motive, and officials have not provided a detailed account of the events leading up to the shooting. Investigators are expected to continue reviewing the recovered recordings, electronic evidence and statements from relatives as they attempt to reconstruct the timeline.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he had offered his administration’s full support to Erie Mayor Daria Devlin following the killings. Shapiro addressed the tragedy while speaking at a campaign rally outside Philadelphia on Saturday, where he also referred to a separate shooting involving two Philadelphia police officers earlier that day.
“Today has been a dark day across this commonwealth,” Shapiro said, acknowledging the violence affecting communities in different parts of Pennsylvania.
Devlin, who spoke directly to the victims’ families during the news conference, offered condolences and pledged the community’s support as they faced the aftermath of the killings.
“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,” the mayor said.
She emphasized that the families were not alone in their grief and that the wider community stood ready to help them through the difficult days ahead.
“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,” Devlin said.
Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz also urged residents to avoid spreading unconfirmed accounts of the shooting while investigators work to establish the facts. With multiple victims from the same family and limited information publicly available about the suspect’s actions, authorities warned that speculation could deepen the pain experienced by those affected.
“Please do not allow rumors, speculation or unverified information to add to the pain that these families are already experiencing,” Hirz said.
The investigation remains focused on understanding the sequence of events inside the house, the circumstances surrounding the two women’s arrival and any information that might explain the suspect’s actions. Authorities have not announced a definitive explanation for the killings.
The deaths of eight victims, including two children and a pregnant woman, have made the shooting one of the most devastating recent incidents to confront the Erie community. The discovery of multiple victims inside the same residence has also placed additional pressure on investigators to establish an accurate account of what occurred without compromising the ongoing inquiry.
Erie is located in northwestern Pennsylvania, approximately 120 miles (190 kilometers) north of Pittsburgh, near the shores of Lake Erie. The city is now confronting the loss of multiple members of a family and others connected to them as police continue gathering evidence.
For the victims’ relatives, the investigation may eventually provide answers about the circumstances that led to the attack. For now, officials have called for patience, caution and respect for the families as authorities work to determine why the shooting happened and whether any earlier events can help explain the violence.