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A mass shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania, left eight people dead on Friday (October 9), including a pregnant woman and two young children, after a 45-year-old family patriarch opened fire inside a home before taking his own life. Authorities said the gunman, who has not yet been publicly identified, was related to seven of the victims and killed a family friend as well, according to Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah.
Mourners gathered outside the Perry Street home over the weekend, leaving candles, flowers, and stuffed animals in memory of those killed. Among the victims was Angelina Stone, who was eight months pregnant, her one-year-old daughter Amarianna, her five-year-old son, and several other relatives. The apparent motive for the shooting remains unknown. Chief Lorah suggested that mental health could have played a role, but investigators are still gathering information from family members and examining cellphones for clues.
Witness Julius Windham, the father of one of the slain children, described the shooter as a grandfather who "never seemed distressed or out of the ordinary." Windham said, "Him every day, him smiling and being just—you would think nothing like that would happen." Other community members, including longtime friends of the family, echoed similar shock at the tragedy, noting that the shooter had "started going downhill" recently.
According to police, the gunman first fired inside the home, then exited and shot two distressed women outside as they sought help. Officers recovered video and audio evidence of muffled gunshots and responded by deploying a drone and robot to safely enter the house. Inside, they found the bodies of the children, the pregnant woman, two more women, and two young men, as well as the shooter, who died of a self-inflicted wound.
Erie Mayor Daria Devlin and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro both expressed condolences to the victims' families and the local community.
The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to understand what led to the tragedy. Erie, located about 120 miles north of Pittsburgh, is now mourning one of the deadliest shootings in its history.