Authorities say there is no continuing public threat, but major questions about the victims, relationships and motive remain unanswered.
ERIE, Pa. — Erie authorities were withholding victims’ identities and declining to speculate about a motive Saturday as investigators examined a shooting that left nine people dead, including two children and the suspected shooter.
The killings unfolded Friday at a home in the 700 block of Perry Street on the city’s east side. Police responded around 5 p.m. after witnesses reported seeing a man firing a gun and then entering a residence. Officers found two women dead in the street, and additional victims were discovered inside the home during the police response.
By Saturday morning, police confirmed nine deaths. Authorities said all of the people had died before officers arrived at the scene. Police also said no shots were fired after officers arrived and explained that loud sounds heard during the tactical response came from flash-bangs used by police.
The suspected shooter was found dead inside the residence with what police described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officials said the situation had been contained and there was no ongoing danger to the public. Investigators had not publicly described how the suspected shooter knew the other people who died, if they were connected, or what may have led to the violence.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said the magnitude of the loss was difficult to put into words. He said investigators were working to establish the full circumstances of the shooting and would not speculate about a motive or disclose information that could compromise the investigation. Police also limited descriptions of what officers encountered inside the home out of respect for the victims and their families.
That approach left several important questions open Saturday. Authorities had not released the names or ages of the victims beyond confirming that two children were among those killed. They had not publicly established a motive, explained the relationships among those involved or announced final findings about the sequence of individual deaths.
The City of Erie and Mayor Daria Devlin issued a statement assuring residents that the danger had ended. City officials said the shooter was dead and that the public was not facing an ongoing threat. Their statement focused on the scale of the loss and the effect on the victims’ loved ones and the wider community.
Gov. Josh Shapiro also responded Saturday, saying he had spoken with Devlin and offered the full support of his administration. Shapiro referred to nine Pennsylvanians being killed and said his thoughts were with their loved ones and the Erie community.
The Erie County Coroner’s Office was involved as authorities continued examining the deaths. Violent and other unnatural deaths fall within the coroner’s investigative duties, including determining the medical cause and manner of death. Police, meanwhile, remained responsible for determining the circumstances that produced the shooting and whether any additional evidence could explain why it happened.
City officials and Erie police planned another update Saturday afternoon. Investigators had not indicated that another suspect was being sought, and officials continued to say there was no danger to the public. The identities of those killed, their relationships and the motive remained unreleased pending further investigative work and notification procedures.
Author note: Last updated October 10, 2026.