Nine people, including two children, are reported dead after a mass shooting and an hours-long standoff in Erie, Pennsylvania, according to CBS News. Police were called to Perry Street at about 5 p.m. Friday after witnesses said they saw a man firing a gun before he went into a home, CBS affiliate Erie News Now reported.
Two women were found dead in the street, and additional victims were discovered inside the house, according to the reporting. The suspected shooter was also found dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On Saturday morning, police confirmed the death toll and said every death took place before officers arrived. They also said no further shots were fired after their arrival, and that sounds heard during the response came from flash-bangs used by the tactical team.
Why it matters
The killings rank among the deadliest shootings in Pennsylvania in recent years, and they have shaken a city of roughly 94,000 people on Lake Erie's shore. The victims include two children, and officials have said little about what led to the violence.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said the scale of the loss is hard to describe. According to CBS News, he said no words could properly convey the magnitude of the deaths. He declined to discuss what officers encountered at the scene, citing respect for the victims and their families, and said investigators are working to establish the full circumstances. He added that police would not speculate about a motive or release anything that could harm the investigation.
City and state officials respond
The City of Erie government and Mayor Daria Devlin issued a joint statement on social media saying the situation had been contained. The statement described the events near 7th and Perry Streets as a terrible tragedy that caused multiple deaths, and said the shooter was dead with no continuing danger to the public. It said residents would feel deep shock and sorrow, and that thoughts were with the victims, their loved ones and everyone affected.
Governor Josh Shapiro said he had spoken with Mayor Devlin and offered his administration's full support. In a statement, he said nine fellow Pennsylvanians were killed, that his heart breaks for the family, and that he and his wife Lori are praying for the victims' loved ones and the wider Erie community.
What is known so far
The sequence described by police and local reporting is narrow. Witnesses reported a man firing a weapon on Perry Street Friday afternoon. He then entered a home. When officers arrived, they found two women dead outside and more victims dead inside. The suspect was later found dead.
Police have not released the names or ages of the victims, and they have not described a relationship between the shooter and those killed. They have also not said what weapon or weapons were used. Investigators have asked the public to avoid speculation while they work.
The confirmation that all deaths occurred before police arrived, and that officers fired no shots, addresses some early confusion about the sounds heard in the area. Police attributed those noises to flash-bangs, devices used to disorient anyone inside during a tactical response.
A community left waiting for answers
Erie sits in the state's northwest corner, along the Pennsylvania-Ohio border. The shooting drew national attention quickly, with CBS News, CNN, The New York Times and local outlets reporting from the scene and from official briefings.
The city and the police department planned to hold an update Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. That briefing was set to be carried live on KDKA-TV's YouTube channel and on CBS News Pittsburgh's streaming service, according to the reporting. KDKA-TV said it had contacted Erie law enforcement and would continue posting updates on its website and broadcasts.
For now, the public record rests on a short set of confirmed facts: nine dead, two of them children, a suspect dead of an apparent self-inflicted wound, and a police investigation still in its early stages. Officials have given no indication of when more details, including the identities of the victims, might be released.
Watch for the Saturday afternoon briefing, where police and city officials are expected to face questions about the timeline, the victims and whether investigators have settled on a possible motive.
