What We Know About 9 Shooting Deaths in Pa.

Police suspect mental health at play after 8 members of one family and a friend are killed
Posted Oct 11, 2026 8:38 AM CDT
What We Know About 9 Shooting Deaths in Pa.
In this image from video provided by WJET, bystanders gather outside the scene of a shooting in Erie, Pa., on Friday evening, Oct. 9, 2026.   (Matt Barnum/WJET via AP)

Authorities in Erie, Pennsylvania, say they are still piecing together what led a gunman to kill seven members of his family, a family friend, and then himself. "I think that mental health is at play here," says Police Chief Rick Lorah, per the Erie Times-News. Police have yet to identify the victims or the suspected shooter. What we do know:

  • Two distressed women arrived at a house on Perry Street in Erie shortly before 5pm Friday, pounded on the door, and were shot outside after a gunman briefly emerged, according to video and audio evidence, reports the AP. As the women were knocking, the sound of muffled gunshots could be heard inside the home. After shooting the two women, the gunman returned inside.
  • Officers reached the scene within minutes, heard no further gunfire, and used a drone, a robot, and flash-bang devices before entering, where they found seven bodies inside, including the 45-year-old suspect with a .40-caliber handgun registered in his name. Police say all the killings took place before they arrived, according to the Washington Post.

  • Among the victims inside were a toddler girl, a 5-year-old boy, and a woman who was 8 months pregnant. Eight of the deceased were related. The ninth victim, one of the two women who were knocking on the door, was a family friend.
  • Investigators plan to examine the phone records of the two women shot outside the house to see if they might shed light on what was happening inside.
  • A neighbor tells the New York Times that she knew the suspect and his family but wasn't close. "All I know is that they argued a lot."

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