Nine Dead in Erie Shooting: What Police Have Said So Far

Nine people died in a shooting at a home on Perry Street in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday, including the suspected gunman, police said. According to Fox News, two young children and a woman who was eight months pregnant were among the eight victims.

Authorities say there is no ongoing threat to the public. Investigators have not disclosed a motive. Here is what officials have confirmed so far.

What happened on Perry Street?

CBS News, citing its affiliate Erie News Now, reported that police were called to the residential area around 5 p.m. after witnesses said they saw a man firing a gun before entering a home. Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said a ShotSpotter alert was triggered at about 4:53 p.m. by two gunshots in the 700 block of Perry Street, according to Fox News. Officers arrived roughly three minutes later and found two women dead outside the residence.

Lorah said investigators reviewed doorbell camera footage from a neighboring home. It showed the two women appearing distressed as they sought help from neighbors, and it captured what investigators believe were muffled gunshots inside the house. The suspect then came outside and shot both women, Lorah said.

Who were the victims?

Fox News reported that Lorah described the suspect as a 45-year-old man. Eight of the nine people who died, including the suspect, were related, and the remaining victim was a family friend, Lorah said.

The two women found outside, ages 51 and 37, did not live at the home. One was a family friend and the other was the sister-in-law of one of the victims. Inside, officers found a 5-year-old boy and a 1-year-10-month-old girl on the first floor. A 24-year-old woman, a 44-year-old woman, a 19-year-old man and a 21-year-old man were found on the second floor and in a stairwell. All of those victims lived there.

The suspect was found dead on the second floor of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Lorah said a .40-caliber handgun recovered on him was registered to him.

How did police respond, and why do accounts differ?

Reports differ on what happened after officers arrived. The Guardian reported that more gunshots were heard from inside the home during a standoff, and that officers then entered. CBS News and Fox News, citing police, reported something different. Police said all of the deaths occurred before officers arrived and that no further shots were fired afterward. Lorah said sounds some witnesses took for gunfire came from flash-bang devices and chemical munitions that SWAT officers used.

Lorah defended the response, according to Fox News. He said officers initially could not know whether the suspect was still inside, had fled or was holding hostages. They heard no gunfire, screams or other signs of life, he said, and used drones and a robot to check the interior before going in. He said obtaining a search warrant did not delay entry and that officers would have gone in immediately if they had seen signs of imminent danger.

Is there still a danger, and what is being done?

The city of Erie and Mayor Daria Devlin said in a joint statement that the situation has been contained, the shooter is dead and there is no ongoing threat. Police said the Criminal Investigations Division continues to investigate. Lorah said officials would not speculate about a motive or share anything that could compromise the inquiry.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said he had spoken with Devlin and offered state support. He wrote on X, “My heart breaks for this family.”

What does this mean for Erie residents and the wider debate?

For people in Erie, Fox News reported that Devlin said the city is working with crisis services, health care providers and local schools to provide trauma support to families, students and residents affected by the shooting.

Nationally, the Guardian cited the Gun Violence Archive as showing that the Erie killings were at least the 19th mass murder of the year, defined as four or more victims murdered. The archive also counts more than 500 mass shootings across the U.S. since the start of January, defined as four or more people shot, whether or not they died. The Guardian noted that many of this year’s mass murders were family killings, and that Congress has not enacted the federal gun restrictions that have been sought over the years.

Sources: CBS News, Fox News, The Guardian