Erie gunman killed 8, including 2 children and a pregnant woman, police say
Police in Erie, Pennsylvania, say a 45-year-old man shot and killed eight people, seven of them relatives, at a Perry Street home Friday before killing himself, and that all of the deaths happened before officers arrived.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
A gunman killed eight people Friday, Oct. 9, at a home in the 700 block of Perry Street on Erie's east side, then died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Erie police said. Seven of the victims were members of the same family and the eighth was a family friend. One of the women killed was about eight months pregnant; her unborn child also died.
Why it matters
The Post-Gazette called it one of the worst mass shootings in Pennsylvania history. "I have not seen anything like this in my 28-plus years," Lorah told a local station. Gov. Josh Shapiro said he had offered his administration's "full support" to Mayor Daria Devlin.
More context
The victims, as described by police: two women, ages 51 and 37, found outside the home; a 5-year-old boy and a girl nearly 2 found on the first floor; and a 24-year-old woman, a 44-year-old woman, a 19-year-old man and a 21-year-old man found on the stairs to the second floor. The suspect, a 45-year-old man, was found on the second floor with a firearm. Police said he was related to seven of the victims. Neither he nor the victims had been publicly named as of Saturday evening.
Timeline (police account): Officers were sent to Perry Street at about 4:53 p.m. after a two-round ShotSpotter alert and 911 calls, and arrived within minutes, Chief Rick Lorah said. Police said investigators determined that all eight victims were killed, and the suspect had died, before officers reached the scene, and that no shots were fired after police arrived. Some early reports on Friday night described a standoff; on Saturday the department said the deaths "were not the result of any prolonged standoff or delay in police action."
What we don't know yet: Police have not released a motive, the relationship details between the suspect and each victim, or how the gunman got the firearm. Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz joined Saturday's briefing; no further charges are possible because the suspect is dead, but the investigation remains open.
5 listed sources
- Erie Police Department news conference, via TalkErie, Oct. 10, 2026
- AP, Oct. 10, 2026
- WPXI, Oct. 9-10, 2026
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via Union Leader, Oct. 10, 2026
- NBC10 Philadelphia, Oct. 10, 2026
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Facts are from the Erie Police Department news conference on Saturday, Oct. 10 (as reported by TalkErie and WPXI), AP and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report carried by the Union Leader. Early reporting (including NBC10 on Friday night) described a standoff; police said Saturday that no shots were fired after officers arrived and that all deaths came before they got there. We use the police account. Police have not named the shooter or the victims, and no motive has been released.
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