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A 45-year-old man shot and killed eight people in Erie, Pennsylvania, including a pregnant woman and two children, then apparently shot himself to death, authorities said at a press conference where they revealed details of the previous evening's shooting.
The shooter, who has yet to be identified, died of an apparent self-inflicted wound before officers arrived on the scene, Erie police chief Rick Lorah said.
"Some scenes stay with you long after you leave them. This is one of those tragic scenes," Lorah said.
Police have yet to establish a motive, Lorah said. He said eight of the nine who died in the shooting were family members, and one was a family friend.
Lorah said after the shooter entered the home, he came out of the house and shot two women who appeared "distressed" and were pacing back and forth seeking assistance from neighbours.
Police found the suspect on the second floor of the home on Perry Street, Lorah said.
Erie Mayor Daria Devlin said the police department "arrived at a horrific scene, faced unimaginable circumstances, and carried out their duties with courage and professionalism."
"They too are members of this community, and they too will carry the weight of what happened last night," she said.
Earlier, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said in a statement on X that he had spoken with Mayor Devlin and had offered support following "the tragic mass shooting".
Shapiro has long advocated for "common sense gun safety," and pushed the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2024 to pass gun reforms, including universal background checks and restrictions on ghost guns, which are homemade guns that lack serial numbers and cannot be traced.
Several of Shapiro's proposals have stalled in the state legislature.
There have been more than 400 mass shootings in the US in 2026, according to data compiled by Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.
The last recorded mass shootings in Pennsylvania took place in July in Philadelphia, according to the data.
Source: Reuters
--Agencies
