Multiple people were killed in a shooting at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday, in what the city’s police chief described as a “devastating” loss of life. No motive has been established. The scale of the violence stunned even experienced officers.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said it was by far the worst crime scene he had seen in almost three decades of law enforcement, YourErie reported. The suspected gunman is dead, authorities said, ending the immediate danger while investigators work to establish the scale and circumstances of the violence. There are no words that can adequately express the magnitude of the loss of life here,” said Lorah.
He added: “It’s a horrific scene. There was a large loss of life inside that residence and outside that residence “I can’t confirm or deny the number of individuals that were involved here. I can tell you that this is a tragic, tragic situation.” Families are awaiting formal identification of the victims as police prepare to release further information.
Newsweek emailed the Erie Police Department for further information outside regular working hours. Police were called to the 700 block of Perry Street, on Erie’s East Side, where officers found two mortally wounded women outside a residence, authorities confirmed, YourErie reported. A neighbor told investigators that a man had shot the pair before going into the house, Lorah said.
Responding officers surrounded the building as the emergency developed into a SWAT operation. After securing a warrant, police forced their way inside. More victims were discovered in different parts of the property, with local law-enforcement sources saying two small children were among them, YourErie anchor Jennifer Mobilia reported.
Police had not publicly confirmed the death toll by late Friday, and Lorah declined to give a precise figure, although local reports from Your Erie Now suggest it could be at least nine, including the shooter. The suspected attacker was found with a gun and appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the chief. It appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” said Lorah.
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