▶ Watch Video: Suspect in Erie mass shooting was related to 7 of the 8 victims, police say
Eight people, including two children, were killed Friday in a mass shooting in a residential area of Erie, Pennsylvania, authorities said. The suspected gunman is also dead.
Erie police said the victims included a 1-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy, four women — one of them pregnant — and two young men. The suspected shooter was related to seven of the eight victims, police said. No names have been released.
Police were called to Perry Street at around 5 p.m. Friday after witnesses reported seeing a man firing a gun before he entered a home.
Officials said two women were found dead in the street, and more victims were found dead inside the home. Police said that the suspect was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“Eight of those victims were related to each other,” Erie Police Chief Richard Lorah said in a news conference Saturday afternoon. “I think it’s too soon to talk about motive, but obviously everyone is family who is there and one family friend.”
All of the deaths happened before officers arrived on scene, Lorah disclosed. There was no additional gunfire from responding officers, the chief said, and loud bangs that residents heard were flash-bangs used by the tactical team.
“When we arrived on scene, we did not hear a gunshot,” Lorah said. “We did not hear a cry for help. We did not see movement inside. Had any of those been heard, we would’ve made entrance immediately. Those officers were met with an eerie silence.”
Lorah said the motive remains under investigation.
“There are no words that can adequately express the magnitude of the loss of life here,” he said. “Out of respect for the victims and their loved ones, I will not discuss the specific details of what our officers encountered today. Our investigators are working diligently as we speak to establish the full circumstances of what occurred. We will not speculate about a motive or any information that could compromise this investigation.”
In a statement Saturday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that his “heart breaks for this family. Lori and I are praying for their loved ones and the entire Erie community.”
And in a joint statement, the city of Erie and Erie Mayor Daria Devlin said that local officials wanted “to assure the public that the situation has been contained.”
“Our thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by tonight’s tragedy,” the statement read.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the total number of people dead includes the suspected shooter.
