ERIE, United States — A 45-year-old man shot dead eight people, including two young children and a pregnant woman, at a home in Pennsylvania before taking his own life, police said.
Seven of the victims were related to the gunman, while the eighth was a family friend, according to Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah.
The shooting occurred on Friday, October 9, 2026, at a residence on Perry Street in Erie, a city in northwestern Pennsylvania.
Police identified the child victims as a five-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl. The other six victims were adults.
The suspect, whose identity had not been released, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, bringing the death toll to nine.
Investigators have not established a motive for the killings.
Two Women Shot Outside Home
Evidence gathered by investigators indicated that several people had been shot inside the residence before two women arrived and attempted to attract attention.
Lorah said surveillance recordings captured muffled gunshots inside the house shortly before 5 p.m.
The footage subsequently showed two distressed women approaching the property, knocking on the door, and attempting to seek help from neighbours.
The gunman emerged from the house and shot both women as they moved towards him, police said.
Officers responding to an alert from ShotSpotter, an automated gunfire detection system, discovered the women dead outside the residence.
After deploying a drone and a robot to examine the building, police entered the house.
Inside, officers found the bodies of the two children on the ground floor, along with two women and two young men in a stairwell.
The gunman’s body was discovered on the second floor.
According to the Associated Press, Lorah said investigators would examine the mobile telephones of the women found outside the house and interview surviving relatives to establish what led to the shootings.
“They knew something was going on at that house,” Lorah said. “We have to figure out what that is.”
Police Say All Nine Died Before Officers Arrived
Erie authorities rejected suggestions that delays in the police response had contributed to the deaths.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the city administration said officers had reached the scene within minutes of receiving the gunfire alert.
Investigators determined that all nine people had died before police arrived and that no further shots were fired during the subsequent operation.
The authorities explained that sounds initially mistaken for gunfire during the police response had come from tactical devices deployed by officers.
Lorah described the killings as among the most disturbing incidents of his policing career.
“Some scenes stay with you long after you leave them. This is one of those tragic scenes,” he said, according to Reuters.
The police chief declined to discuss possible motives while investigators continued gathering evidence.
The identities of the victims had not been publicly released.
Governor Offers Support as Community Mourns
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he had spoken with Erie Mayor Daria Devlin and offered the state’s assistance following the killings.
“My heart breaks for this family,” Shapiro said, adding that he and his wife were praying for the victims’ relatives and the wider Erie community.
Devlin expressed condolences to those affected and commended the officers who responded to the shooting.
Speaking directly to the bereaved families during a news conference, the mayor acknowledged the severity of their loss.
“I am so deeply sorry. What happened to you was horrific, and there is nothing that any of us can say today that will make this any easier,” she said.
She assured the families that the community would support them.
Erie District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz urged residents to avoid spreading unverified claims while the investigation remained underway.
The killings have renewed attention to gun violence in the United States.
According to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive and cited by Reuters, more than 400 mass shootings had been recorded nationwide in 2026.
The organisation defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are shot, excluding the attacker.
Investigators in Erie are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the killings, including the relationship between the gunman and those who died.
