Nine people, including two children, have died in a horrific shooting spree in Erie, Pennsylvania. The violence left bodies in the street and prompted a tense police standoff that ended when the suspected gunman was found dead inside a home.
The shooting began Friday evening, according to Erie News Now. Frightened residents called 911 after hearing gunfire and seeing a man allegedly fire a handgun outside a house.
Two women were found dead in the street as heavily armed officers surrounded a nearby home where the suspected shooter had barricaded himself, the outlet reported.
When police eventually entered the property, they found more victims inside, including children, in what officers described as a horrific scene.
Sources told local television station Erie News Now that nine people were dead, including the suspected gunman. He was reportedly found with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police have not officially confirmed the reported death toll, released the identities of the victims or determined what prompted the deadly attack.
The emergency began shortly after 5 p.m. Friday, when dispatchers received frantic calls about gunfire in the 700 block of Perry Street.
Officers arrived to find two women dead in the street, triggering a major police response as authorities worked to establish whether the shooter still posed an immediate threat.
Nine people, including two children, were killed in a horrific Pennsylvania shooting rampage that left bodies in the street before a tense police standoff
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said the scene was among the worst he had encountered during 28 years in law enforcement
Officers from the Erie Police Department, along with members of the SWAT team, surrounded the home as the situation developed into a standoff.
Police used a loudspeaker to repeatedly order the person inside the property to surrender.
There was no response, and additional gunfire was heard during the standoff, intensifying fears that others could still be at risk.
Officers later entered the residence and found more bodies in several areas of the home.
Sources who spoke with Erie News Now said children were among those killed.
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The suspected gunman was also found inside the house and appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
His death ended the immediate threat, but investigators were left to deal with the aftermath of one of the most disturbing incidents in the history of the city’s police force.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah spoke about the profound emotional impact on officers, saying the scene ranked among the most difficult they had faced.
A heavily armed Erie police officer takes cover behind a protective shield during the deadly Perry Street shooting that left nine people dead, including two children and the suspected gunman
Police vehicles lined Perry Street in Erie, Pennsylvania, after officers responded to reports of gunfire and discovered two women dead in the road
Heavily armed Erie SWAT officers surrounded the home on Perry Street during a tense standoff with a suspected gunman, who was later found dead inside from a self-inflicted gunshot
Shocked neighbors gathered at a police cordon following the senseless violence on Friday
Police can be seen on duty outside the home on Friday night following the deadly shootings
‘The loss of life is devastating, and the circumstances we are working through are deeply disturbing,’ Lorah said.
His comments came as detectives and forensic investigators began the painstaking task of piecing together what happened inside and outside the Perry Street property.
Authorities have yet to explain whether the victims were related, whether the gunman knew those he allegedly killed or what might have triggered the violence.
The identities and ages of the dead have also been withheld while the investigation continues.
Erie is a city in northwest Pennsylvania, on Lake Erie.