A 45-year-old man shot and killed eight people at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday evening before dying of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States this year.
The victims included seven relatives of the gunman and a family friend, Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said at a Saturday press conference. Among the dead were a woman who was eight months pregnant, a five-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl; the other victims were men and women ranging in age from 19 to 51.
What happened
According to investigators, video and audio evidence showed two distressed women arriving at the residence on Perry Street and pounding on the door shortly before 5 pm on Friday. The gunman then came out of the house and shot them as they ran toward him, before returning inside.
Police arrived within minutes after a gunshot-detection alert and found the two women dead outside. Officers deployed a drone and a robot before entering the home, where they found the bodies of the two young children on the first floor, two more women and two young men in a stairwell, and the shooter on the second floor.
No motive established
Chief Lorah declined to discuss a motive, saying investigators would speak to 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 Mayor Daria Devlin described a "horrific scene" and said first responders would carry its weight with them, while Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he had spoken with the mayor and offered the state's support. Police have not released the names of the victims or the shooter.
Sources:
2 children, pregnant woman among family killed in shooting at Erie, Pennsylvania residence, police say — CNN
Eight killed in Pennsylvania shooting — The Straits Times (AFP/Reuters)
The victims included seven relatives of the gunman and a family friend, Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said at a Saturday press conference. Among the dead were a woman who was eight months pregnant, a five-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl; the other victims were men and women ranging in age from 19 to 51.
What happened
According to investigators, video and audio evidence showed two distressed women arriving at the residence on Perry Street and pounding on the door shortly before 5 pm on Friday. The gunman then came out of the house and shot them as they ran toward him, before returning inside.
Police arrived within minutes after a gunshot-detection alert and found the two women dead outside. Officers deployed a drone and a robot before entering the home, where they found the bodies of the two young children on the first floor, two more women and two young men in a stairwell, and the shooter on the second floor.
No motive established
Chief Lorah declined to discuss a motive, saying investigators would speak to 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 Mayor Daria Devlin described a "horrific scene" and said first responders would carry its weight with them, while Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he had spoken with the mayor and offered the state's support. Police have not released the names of the victims or the shooter.
Sources:
2 children, pregnant woman among family killed in shooting at Erie, Pennsylvania residence, police say — CNN
Eight killed in Pennsylvania shooting — The Straits Times (AFP/Reuters)
