Erie shooting leaves multiple dead including two children, gunman

Nine people, including two young children and a pregnant woman, were found dead after a shooting Friday night at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Video above: Excerpt from press conference on Erie shooting

City officials stated the death toll was eight victims in the house, including a pregnant woman and two children. The shooter was also dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted wound.

Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said the number of lives lost on the 700 block of Perry Street was devastating and that the crime scene was by far the worst one he has ever seen in his law enforcement career.

“This is one of the most difficult and heartbreaking scenes our officers and investigators have ever encountered,” he said. “The loss of life is devastating, and the circumstances we are working through are deeply disturbing.”

Reports from Erie

Officers were called to Erie’s East Side just before 5 p.m. after a report of two women shot outside a home.

Authorities say before the women were shot, they were outside the home, pounding on the door. When the door opened, the 45-year-old gunman, who was a family member of seven people killed, shot the two women.

Officials say police were at the scene minutes after receiving a ShotSpotter alert; however, by that time, all victims were already dead.

“The deaths were not the result of any prolonged standoff or delay in police action,” the city said. “No additional gunshots were fired after police arrived. Sounds heard during the police response that may have been mistaken for gunfire were flash bangs associated with law enforcement’s tactical response.”

Video below: Erie police chief speaks on shooting

Officers were “met with an eerie silence” once they entered the house, officials said. Police found multiple bodies, including the bodies of a 5-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl.

Authorities say the two children were both found on the first floor of the home, while the rest of the victims were found in a second-floor stairwell.

“Our hearts are with the victims, their families and everyone affected by this tragedy. There are no words that can be adequately expressed the magnitude of the loss of life here,” Lorah said.

‘Horrific scene’

“It’s a horrific scene,” Lorah said. “There was a large loss of life inside that residence and outside that residence.”

Lorah said the suspect is dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Erie is a city of 94,831 people on the shore of Lake Erie. It is about 80 miles from Buffalo, 90 miles from Cleveland, and 120 miles from Pittsburgh.

This article has been updated with additional information.