Nine people are dead, including the suspected shooter, after a mass shooting at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, with police revealing Saturday that seven of the eight victims were related to the gunman.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said the suspected shooter was a 45-year-old man and that the eighth victim was a friend of a pregnant woman killed in the attack, The Associated Press reported.
Two young children were also among the dead. Authorities have not publicly identified those killed or announced a motive.
Two Women Arrived Before Shooting
Investigators recovered video and audio evidence showing two “distressed” women arriving at the home shortly before 5 p.m. Friday and pounding on the door, according to Lorah.
The gunman then came outside and shot the women before returning inside, AP reported.
Police arrived to find the two women dead outside the residence.
Inside the home, officers found a 5-year-old boy, a 1-year-old girl, two additional women, two young men, and the suspected shooter, according to AP.
One of the adult victims was pregnant.
The total of nine dead includes the suspected shooter, meaning eight people were killed by the gunman. AP corrected its developing coverage Saturday to make that distinction clear.
Police Correct Early Standoff Reports
The City of Erie said officers arrived “within minutes” after receiving a ShotSpotter alert.
Early reports described an extended standoff and suggested additional gunfire occurred after officers reached the home. The city later said investigators determined all nine people were already dead before police arrived.
“The deaths were not the result of any prolonged standoff or delay in police action,” the city said.
Police also determined no additional gunshots were fired after officers arrived. Sounds that may have been mistaken for gunfire were flash-bang devices deployed as part of the tactical response, according to the city.
Officers initially had limited information about whether the shooter remained alive inside the home or continued to pose a threat. Police assessed the situation and gathered information while seeking a search warrant.
Investigators Search For Motive
Police have not announced what led to the killings.
Lorah said investigators plan to interview other relatives and examine the cellphones of the women found outside the home as they reconstruct the events preceding the shooting.
Lorah described the crime scene as unprecedented during his law enforcement career.
“They knew something was going on at that house,” Lorah said, reported AP. “I have not seen anything like this in my 28-plus years,”
Authorities have not publicly released the identities of the victims or shooter.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he had spoken with Erie Mayor Daria Devlin and offered the city his administration’s full support.
What Remains Unknown
Investigators have not announced a motive or publicly explained what prompted the two women to rush to the house shortly before they were killed.
Authorities also have not released the victims’ names.
Although additional details circulated following Saturday’s police briefing, the investigation remains active, and some information reported during the first hours after the shooting changed as detectives reconstructed the timeline.
The City of Erie specifically urged residents to avoid spreading unverified information while investigators worked to establish the facts.
Previous Mass Shootings Covered By DX
The Erie deaths follow other mass-casualty shootings covered this year by The Dallas Express.
In April, The Dallas Express reported that eight children were killed and two women hospitalized in a shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana. Police identified Shamar Elkins as the suspect and later killed him following a vehicle pursuit and shootout.
In March, The Dallas Express covered a shooting at Buford’s on Sixth Street in Austin that killed two victims and wounded 14 before responding officers fatally shot the gunman. Another wounded victim later died, The Dallas Express subsequently reported.
The Erie investigation remains active as detectives work to determine what prompted the shooting and what the two women knew when they arrived at the home.
