Nine people, including two young children and a woman who was eight months pregnant, are dead after an Erie mass shooting at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday evening — and authorities say the suspected gunman, a 45-year-old man related to most of the victims, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police described the scene on the 700 block of Perry Street as one of the worst they have encountered in the city’s history.
Erie police received reports of gunfire at 4:52 p.m. Friday and rushed to the east Erie neighborhood, where officers found two women fatally wounded outside the home. When they went inside, they found more carnage: additional victims and the suspected shooter dead on the second floor, according to USA Today. No more shots were fired after officers arrived.
Erie Mass Shooting: What Happened on Perry Street
The shooting unfolded in a tight-packed residential block where homes sit close together. A witness told police they saw a man matching the suspect’s description shooting the two women outside before going back into the house, Police Chief Rick Lorah said at a news conference on Saturday.
Video and audio evidence recovered by investigators included muffled gunshot sounds coming from inside the home shortly before two “distressed” women arrived and began pounding on the door, Lorah said. The gunman then came out and shot them as they ran toward him, before returning inside.
Inside the home, officers found the bodies of a 5-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl on the first floor, two more women and two young men in a stairwell, and the suspected shooter on the second floor, per the AP. The chief declined to describe what officers encountered in detail. “Out of respect for the victims and the families, I will not discuss the details of what our officers encountered inside that home,” he said.
All but one of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene; one person was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead there, Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said.
The Victims of the Erie Mass Shooting
Eight of the nine people who died were related to one another, including the suspected shooter, and the ninth was a family friend, police said. The family friend was described as a friend of the pregnant woman.
The Erie County coroner has ruled the deaths of six adults, two children and the unborn child of the eight-months-pregnant victim as homicides, and ruled the 45-year-old suspected shooter’s death a suicide, according to USA Today. As of Saturday morning, the coroner’s office was still working to confirm the identities of the deceased and had not decided whether autopsies would be performed.
“Some scenes stay with you long after you leave them. This is one of those tragic scenes,” Lorah said, calling the loss of life unlike anything he and other officers on the force had ever seen.
Investigators have not established a motive. “I think mental health is at play here, but I think it is too soon to really go into a motive,” Lorah said at the news conference. He said detectives would speak with other relatives and examine the cellphones of the women killed outside the home. “They knew something was going on at that house,” he said. “We have to figure out what that is.”
Erie Mass Shooting: Response From Officials
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Saturday morning that he had spoken with Erie Mayor Daria Devlin and offered his administration’s full support. “I’ve spoken with Mayor Devlin and offered my Administration’s full support following the tragic mass shooting in Erie last night — killing nine of our fellow Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro wrote in a post on X. “My heart breaks for this family. Lori and I are praying for their loved ones and the entire Erie community.”
The City of Erie government and the mayor issued a joint statement Friday night assuring residents there was no ongoing threat. “The shooter is deceased, and there is no ongoing threat or danger to the public at this time,” the statement read, adding that their thoughts were with the victims and everyone affected.
City Councilman Andre Horton also addressed the tragedy. “My heart goes out to the family and all of those who lost loved ones,” he said. “My heart goes out to the community and my heart goes out to the police who had to witness this and to perform their duties.”
Shapiro has long advocated for gun-safety reforms in Pennsylvania, including universal background checks and restrictions on untraceable “ghost guns,” though several of his proposals have stalled in the state legislature, according to Reuters.
As with any breaking investigation, some details may change as the coroner’s office confirms identities and detectives establish a timeline. Our crime coverage also includes the ongoing homicide investigation along Lansing’s River Trail, where police are probing a possible pattern in five deaths.
Erie Mass Shooting: Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Erie mass shooting?
On Friday, Oct. 9, a 45-year-old man shot and killed eight people — mostly relatives, including two children and a pregnant woman — at a home on Perry Street in Erie, Pennsylvania, then apparently shot himself, according to Erie police.
How many people died in the Erie shooting?
Nine people died: eight victims ruled homicides by the coroner (six adults, two children, plus an unborn child) and the suspected shooter, whose death was ruled a suicide.
Has a motive been established?
No. Police Chief Rick Lorah said investigators had not established a motive as of Saturday, though he said he believes mental health may be a factor. Detectives are examining evidence including the victims’ cellphones.
Is there an ongoing threat to the public in Erie?
No. City officials confirmed the suspected shooter is deceased and there is no ongoing danger to the public.
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