Nine people are dead after a shooting at a home in a residential neighborhood of Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday, and the suspected gunman died by suicide, authorities said.
Two children and a pregnant woman were among the dead, police said, according to the Associated Press. The victims have not been publicly identified, and investigators have not established a motive.
Gov. Josh Shapiro called it a “tragic mass shooting” and said he offered the state’s full support to Erie Mayor Daria Devlin.
What We Know So Far
Police responded to 911 calls about a shooting at a residence on Perry Street, near 7th and Perry streets, the city said in a news release. People reported the calls came around 5 p.m. local time Friday, Oct. 9. Reuters described the shooting as occurring late Friday.
Officers arrived within minutes of an alert from ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system that uses microphones and artificial intelligence, the AP reported. The city said all nine deaths occurred before officers arrived and that no further shots were fired after that. It said sounds heard during the police response that might have been mistaken for gunfire were flash bangs used in the tactical response.
Erie News Now and KBTX News 3, citing the Erie Police Department, reported that two women were found dead outside the home and several other victims were found inside. The outlets said the suspect entered the home after striking the two women, shot at several people inside, and then barricaded himself, setting off a standoff with SWAT teams.
Police Chief Rick Lorah said the suspect died from a self inflicted gunshot wound and that, based on current information, there is no ongoing threat to the public. Erie sits about 120 miles north of Pittsburgh.
What Authorities Are Saying
Lorah called the scene one of the most difficult and heartbreaking of his tenure. “The circumstances we are working through are deeply disturbing,” he said. He told a local station he had not seen anything like it in more than 28 years on the force.
He said investigators are working to establish the full circumstances and that “it’s going to take some time to put this all together.” Authorities said they were still working to determine a motive.
The city said in a Facebook statement that the situation was contained and offered condolences to victims and families. It said updates would follow once information is verified. A news conference was scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
Erie News Now photographer Chris Peterson, who witnessed part of the standoff, described chaos as people ran from the area.
Differing Accounts
The sources framed the death toll in different ways. The AP said nine people died, including the suspected shooter. Shapiro, as quoted by Reuters, described nine fellow Pennsylvanians killed, and People and the local outlets reported at least nine people shot dead, with the suspect’s death reported separately. Authorities had not clarified Saturday whether the nine includes the gunman.
The accounts of timing and sequence also differ. The local outlets described a standoff with SWAT officers and reported footage with gunfire and screams, while the city said all deaths occurred before officers arrived and that the sounds police response produced were flash bangs. Officials had not reconciled the two descriptions.
Why This Matters
A shooting that kills this many people, including two children, is rare for a city the size of Erie, and Lorah said he did not believe the city had seen such loss of life before. The case is likely to draw close attention to how early information was handled. The city issued its statement specifically to correct inaccurate information that circulated overnight.
The use of ShotSpotter in the response also puts a technology that has drawn criticism in other cities back in focus. Officers reached the scene within minutes of the alert, though the city said the deaths had already occurred.
What Happens Next
Police and city officials were expected to provide more details at Saturday’s news conference, including, they hope, victim identities once families are notified. Investigators will continue to work on a motive and a timeline of events, and the county medical examiner is expected to confirm causes of death. Lorah has said the process will take time.
Reporting drawn from Reuters, the Associated Press, People, Erie News Now and KBTX News 3
