‘It was horrific’: Eight people from same family killed in US shooting

Warning graphic content

Eight people from the same family, including a five-year-old boy, a one-year-old girl, and a woman who was eight months pregnant, have been killed in a shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania, police said, in one of the worst mass shootings in the city’s history.

A doorbell camera captured two women frantically trying to catch the attention of neighbours to raise the alarm about what was happening inside the house. Moments later, the two women, a relative and a family friend, were also shot dead in the street.

Police said the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and there was no ongoing threat to public safety.

All the deaths occurred before officers arrived at the scene, where they were met with an eerie silence, the city’s police chief Rick Lorah said at a press conference on Sunday morning AEDT.

“There was no movement, no audible sounds coming from inside the residence, no gunshots, no screams,” he said.

“It was horrific. It was the worst scene I have ever experienced.

“Out of respect for the victims and the families, I will not discuss the details of what our officers encountered inside that home. But I want our community to understand the gravity of what happened and the profound impact this tragedy has had on those involved and on our community as a whole.”

Jennifer Lott, who lives on the block where the shooting took place, said she was at home when she heard gunshots and a woman lying in the street.

“I got closer, and I noticed she had a gunshot wound to her head and she wasn’t moving, and everybody kept telling me to back up; the police were coming,” she told The New York Times on Saturday.

Lorah said police had received doorbell video and audio from a home next door, including a scream and two muffled gunshots.

“That is where we were able to see those two females pacing back and forth outside the residence; they were trying to get neighbours’ attention,” he said.

“Video evidence reviewed by investigators shows those two women arriving at the residence appearing distressed, seeking assistance from neighbours and pounding on the door. The audio video also appears to capture muffled gunfire from inside the residence before the suspect emerged and fatally shot both women.”

Inside the home, two young children were found on the first floor: a five-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl. Four additional victims were found on the second floor in the stairwell: a 24-year-old female, a 44-year-old female, a 19-year-old male, and a 21-year-old male. The 45-year-old suspected shooter was found dead on the second floor from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Lorah said he had been a police officer for 28 years and that he had never “seen the loss of life and the devastation that we just witnessed.”

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

Governor Josh Shapiro said Saturday he offered his administration’s “full support” to Erie Mayor Daria Devlin.

“I’ve spoken with Mayor Devlin and offered my Administration’s full support following the tragic mass shooting in Erie last night — killing nine of our fellow Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro wrote in a Saturday morning post on X.

Erie is the fifth most populous city in Pennsylvania and is located on the shores of Lake Erie.

Watch: Erie Police chief Rick Lorah’s press conference on Sunday morning AEDT.