Two young children and a pregnant woman were among those killed before the 45-year-old gunman died by suicide, authorities said.
ERIE, Pa. — A 45-year-old grandfather killed eight people, including two young children and a pregnant woman, during a mass shooting at a family home before dying by suicide, authorities said as investigators continued working to determine what led to the attack.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said seven of the eight people killed Friday, Oct. 9, were related to the gunman. The eighth was a friend of the pregnant woman. Authorities had not publicly identified the shooter or released the names of all the victims as of Sunday, and police said the motive remained unknown. The gunman’s death brought the total number of people who died at the property to nine.
Police were called to the residential area shortly before 5 p.m. after a gunshot-detection system alerted authorities to gunfire. Officers arriving at the home found two women dead outside. Video and audio evidence later reviewed by investigators showed that gunfire had apparently already occurred inside the residence before the women arrived, according to Lorah.
The two women appeared distressed and began pounding on the door, police said. Investigators said the gunman then came outside and shot them before returning to the home. Police have not publicly established why the women went to the residence or what they knew about events unfolding inside. Lorah said investigators planned to examine their phones and interview relatives in an effort to learn more about what happened before the shooting.
Officers surrounded the property while trying to determine whether the shooter remained an active threat and whether anyone inside could still be rescued. Police deployed specialized equipment, including a robot and drone, before officers entered. Investigators later said the victims had already been killed before officers went inside and that police did not exchange gunfire with the shooter.
Inside, authorities found a 1-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy on the first floor. Police also found two women and two young men elsewhere in the home. The gunman was found on the second floor with what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. One of the women killed was pregnant. Authorities have not included her unborn child in the official count of eight homicide victims.
Julius Windham, whose 1-year-old daughter Amarianna was killed, told The Associated Press that the shooter was the family’s grandfather and that he had not appeared unusually distressed before the killings. Windham also lost the mother of his daughter, who was pregnant, and her 5-year-old son. Family members and local reporting identified the pregnant woman as Angelina Stone.
Windham joined other mourners at a memorial outside the home Sunday, where residents placed flowers, candles and stuffed animals. He said he was struggling to describe the scale of his loss but was trying to remain strong for his family and community. Other people who knew the family also expressed disbelief that the man they had known could be responsible for the killings.
Lorah declined to identify a motive. He said investigators would examine whether mental health or other factors played a role, while stressing that detectives had not reached a conclusion. Police were reviewing electronic evidence, recordings and other information and were speaking with surviving relatives and potential witnesses. Officials urged residents to avoid spreading rumors while the investigation remained active.
The police chief described the home as the worst scene he had encountered in nearly three decades of law enforcement. He declined to publicly describe what officers saw inside in greater detail, citing respect for the victims and their relatives. The shooting also affected first responders and neighbors who were confronted with the violence and its aftermath, city officials said.
Erie Mayor Daria Devlin offered condolences to the victims’ relatives at a news conference Saturday and said the city was grieving with them. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he had spoken with Devlin and offered state assistance. Officials said there was no continuing danger to the public after authorities determined that the gunman had died.
The killings left a growing memorial outside the Perry Street-area home as relatives, friends and neighbors gathered during the weekend. The victims represented several generations of one family, turning the shooting into a devastating case of family violence that shook the northwestern Pennsylvania city.
Investigators had not announced a final motive or publicly identified every victim by Sunday night. Detectives were continuing to review phones, recordings and other evidence as they worked to reconstruct the sequence of events and determine what led the 45-year-old grandfather to kill seven relatives and a family friend before taking his own life.
Author note: Last updated October 11, 2026.