Nine Dead After Mass House Shooting

Police investigate a taped-off urban street crime scene — Photo: Steve Sanchez Photos / Shutterstock

Nine people, including two children and the suspected shooter, were found dead in an Erie, Pennsylvania, home.

Story Snapshot

Police found nine dead at 722 Perry Street, including the suspected gunman.
Officers arrived within minutes after a two-shot alert at 4:53 p.m..
Officials said all victims were killed before police entered the home.
Authorities reported no ongoing threat to the community.

What Police Say Happened On Perry Street

Erie police responded to the 700 block of Perry Street at about 4:53 p.m. after a system detected two gunshots, according to Police Chief Rick Lorah’s briefing. Officers reached the area within minutes. They found multiple victims at 722 Perry Street. The accused shooter, described as a 45-year-old man, was also found dead. Police said the shooter appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officials said there was no ongoing danger after officers secured the scene.

City officials later said investigators determined all of the deaths occurred before police arrived. That detail matched what police leaders told the public during their updates. The total number of the dead reached nine when counting the suspected shooter. Reporters and photographers documented the home and heavy police presence from Friday evening into Saturday, fixing the address and timing in the public record.

Casualty Count And The Shooter’s Status

Reuters reported nine total deaths, including the suspected shooter, aligning with police accounts and city statements. Some outlets described eight victims plus the shooter in separate lines, which can sound different but reflects the same count. Officials said two children were among the dead. The suspected shooter was not publicly named at the time of the updates. Police said the investigation continued, and forensic work would follow standard procedures.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro posted a statement that adopted the official count and called the scene tragic. He said nine Pennsylvanians were killed in the mass shooting and that the state offered support to the city. That public stance echoed local officials, who stressed that there was no continuing threat once police reached the home and secured the area on Friday.

How Officers Got There So Fast

Chief Lorah said a system detected two gunshots and alerted officers, who then arrived within minutes to the 700 block of Perry Street. He placed the first alert at 4:53 p.m. and said officers found victims after entering the home. The quick timing helps explain why officials could assure residents about safety soon after the response. It also helps place the likely window of the shootings before police reached the house, as later stated by the city.

Shooting leaves 9 dead including suspect in Erie, Pennsylvania, police say https://t.co/FrCHtwu6v1

— ABC11 EyewitnessNews (@ABC11_WTVD) October 11, 2026

Photos from local media show investigators, emergency tape, and neighbors gathered near 722 Perry Street. The images fix the neighborhood details and underscore the scale of the response. Reporters cited the address repeatedly in their coverage. Those images and on-scene reports helped confirm the presence of multiple victims and the location of the suspected shooter’s body within the residence on Friday night and into Saturday.

What Officials Have Not Said Yet

Police did not release a motive and did not identify the suspected shooter by name at the time of the briefings. They described his death as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, which is common phrasing before autopsy results. That caveat does not change the core account of nine dead, no ongoing threat, and a swift police response to a specific address and time. Officials said more details would come as the forensic work proceeds.

Why The Numbers Sound Different In Headlines

Mass shooting coverage often uses two counting styles. Some reports say “eight victims” and then note the shooter’s death separately. Others say “nine dead” and include the shooter in the total. Both describe the same event here. Researchers also use different thresholds for the term “mass shooting,” which adds more variation to headlines while the facts on the ground remain the same.

What This Means For Erie Right Now

Residents got two clear messages. First, the killings happened inside one home at 722 Perry Street on Friday evening. Second, police believe the danger ended before officers arrived, and the suspect died at the scene. That allows investigators to focus on motive, relationships, and the timeline inside the house. As formal identifications and autopsies conclude, authorities are expected to release names and more confirmed details to the public.