A shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday left nine people dead, including two small children, a pregnant woman and the man authorities believe was responsible, according to USA Today. Police say the violence appears to have unfolded largely within a single family, although the circumstances leading up to the killings remain unclear.
The incident occurred October 9 at a house on Perry Street, where police were alerted to gunfire shortly before 5 p.m. Officers arriving at the property discovered two women, ages 37 and 51, who had been shot outside. A subsequent search of the residence revealed seven more bodies, including that of the suspected attacker.
USA Today writes that the victims inside included a 1-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy, two young men ages 19 and 21, and two women ages 24 and 44. One of the deceased was eight months pregnant. Investigators determined that eight of those killed were members of the same extended family, while the remaining victim was a family acquaintance.
Police identified the suspected attacker as a 45-year-old man who was found upstairs with a legally registered firearm. Evidence initially suggested he had taken his own life after the killings. One of the nine deceased was transported to a hospital before being pronounced dead.
Questions surrounding the police response prompted officials to clarify the timeline. Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said officers reached the address within roughly three minutes of the initial gunfire alert but encountered a secured house with covered windows and no audible signs of violence continuing inside. Authorities maintain that everyone had already been shot before officers reached the scene and that the response did not involve a prolonged confrontation with the gunman.
Detectives are now attempting to reconstruct the events preceding the shooting through witness interviews, cellphone evidence and the suspect's prior interactions with law enforcement. Lorah indicated that psychological issues were among the possibilities being considered, but stressed that no explanation for the killings had been confirmed. He also described the crime scene as the worst he had witnessed in his policing career.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro pledged assistance to the city and expressed sympathy for those affected. Local officials are arranging mental health resources and other services for surviving relatives and residents shaken by the tragedy.
As of Saturday afternoon, authorities were still working to formally confirm the victims' identities and had not publicly released their names.