A 45-year-old man allegedly shot and killed seven of his relatives and a family friend at a residence in Erie, Pennsylvania, before apparently dying by suicide, authorities said on Saturday.
The deadly incident claimed eight lives, including those of two young children and a woman who was eight months pregnant.
According to Erie Police Chief, Rick Lorah, officers were dispatched to the scene on Friday evening following reports of gunfire. Upon arriving, they discovered two women lying dead in the street. Lorah told reporters that video evidence showed the women arriving at the residence in an apparently distressed state before attempting to seek assistance from neighbours and gain entry into the house.
The footage reportedly showed the gunman coming out of the residence and shooting the two women before going back inside, the police chief said. Officers subsequently surrounded the property as the suspect barricaded himself indoors, issuing repeated orders for him to come out. He was later found inside the house with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Lorah added.
Police confirmed that seven of the eight victims were related to the suspected shooter, while the remaining victim was a family friend. Among those killed inside the residence were a five-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl. The other victims were adults aged between 19 and 51, including a woman who was eight months pregnant.
According to reports, the officers who responded to the incident were being offered counselling to help them cope with the traumatic experience.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Erie Mayor Daria Devlin acknowledged the profound impact of the killings on the community, expressing sympathy for those directly affected by the tragedy.
“Many people across our community are hurting today: the neighbors who witnessed what happened, the families and friends of those who were killed, the officers and first responders who answered these calls, and others struggling to make sense of something so terrible,” Erie Mayor Daria Devlin told reporters Saturday.
She also recognised that the loss had left victims’ families and others affected by the incident facing immense grief, pledging that the community would support them through the difficult period.
“We cannot undo what happened last night, and we cannot take away the grief that these families are carrying, but we can make sure that they don’t have to carry it alone,” she said.
