Police found victims outside and inside a Perry Street home after responding to reports of gunfire Friday evening.
ERIE, PA — Nine people, including two children, were reported dead after a shooting Friday evening at a home in Erie, where police responding to reports of gunfire found two women dead outside and additional victims inside the residence.
Police were called to Perry Street around 5 p.m. Friday after witnesses reported seeing a man firing a handgun outside a home before going inside. The response developed into a large police operation involving tactical officers. Authorities later said the suspected shooter was found dead inside the home and that there was no continuing threat to the public.
Erie police said Saturday morning that the deaths occurred before officers arrived and that no additional gunshots were fired after police reached the scene. Police said sounds heard during the tactical response were flash-bangs used by officers. Early reports during the rapidly developing response had described additional gunfire, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding the initial timeline.
Two women were found dead in the street when officers arrived, according to police accounts reported by local and regional news organizations. Investigators later entered the residence and found additional victims, including two children. Authorities had not publicly released the victims’ names or the children’s ages as of Saturday morning.
Police Chief Rick Lorah said investigators were still working to determine exactly what happened and declined to discuss details of what officers encountered inside the home. He said the scale of the loss was difficult to put into words and described the circumstances under investigation as deeply disturbing.
Authorities said the suspected shooter was also found dead inside the residence with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Early reports differed over whether the suspected shooter was included in the reported total of nine deaths. Police and other officials were continuing to clarify the final accounting as investigators and the coroner’s office worked through the scene.
No motive had been announced, and authorities had not publicly established the relationship between the suspected shooter and the people who were killed. Investigators also had not released a complete sequence of events leading to the shooting. Police cautioned against speculation while detectives worked to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The City of Erie said Friday night that the situation had been contained and that the suspected shooter was dead. Officials said there was no ongoing danger to the public and expressed condolences to the victims’ relatives and others affected by the shooting.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Saturday that he had spoken with Erie Mayor Daria Devlin and offered support from his administration. Shapiro described the shooting as a tragedy for Erie and the state as authorities continued their investigation.
Police planned to provide additional information Saturday afternoon. The identities of the victims, the suspected shooter’s identity, a motive and the precise relationships among those involved remained unreleased as investigators continued processing evidence and working to establish a final timeline.
Author note: Last updated October 10, 2026.