Erie, Pennsylvania Mass Shooting Kills Nine, Including Children and Pregnant Woman

Nine people died in a mass shooting at a residence on the 700 block of Perry Street in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday, October 9, 2026. A 45-year-old man killed eight others, including two young children and a woman who was eight months pregnant, then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said officers responded after ShotSpotter and 911 calls at about 4:52 p.m.

Police found two women dead outside the house. Inside they located six more victims and the shooter. The victims included a 5-year-old boy and a girl roughly 22 months old on the first floor, plus a 24-year-old woman, a 44-year-old woman, a 19-year-old man and a 21-year-old man in a stairwell on the second floor. The 24-year-old woman was pregnant. The two women outside were ages 51 and 37. Eight of the nine dead were related; one was a family friend. The shooter was related to most of the victims.

Investigators believe the man killed the people inside the house, went outside and shot the two women who were pacing and seeking help from neighbours, then returned inside and shot himself. A .40-caliber handgun registered to him was recovered. Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook ruled the eight deaths homicides and the shooter's death a suicide. Names had not been released by Sunday as the coroner contacted relatives.

Lorah said mental health issues may have been a factor but that it was too soon to assign a clear motive. Police were examining the shooter's background, including cell phones and other evidence. Mayor Daria Devlin described the scene as horrific and said officers carried out their duties with professionalism. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said his heart broke for the family.

The neighbourhood of tightly packed houses returned to quiet the next morning except for police presence holding the scene. All but one victim died at the location; one was pronounced dead at the hospital. The incident is among the mass killings recorded in the United States in 2026. A separate suspected murder-suicide in Georgia the same day killed four people plus the shooter.

Local officials assured the public there was no ongoing threat. The house remained a crime scene into the weekend. Neighbours reported hearing gunshots and seeing the two women in distress outside before the final shots. No one else was injured outside the family group.

For Erie, a city that has seen shootings before, the loss of multiple generations in one household stands out. The pregnant woman and the two small children account for three of the deaths among the youngest. Police continued a deep review of evidence on Sunday. The coroner's office planned to release names once family notifications were complete. The immediate question for investigators is what led a man to kill relatives and a friend before ending his own life in the same house.