Erie police say a 45-year-old gunman killed eight people on Perry Street, including two young children and a woman eight months pregnant, before killing himself.

Saturday's release settles the timing question: the city says no one died after police got there, and the sounds people took for more gunfire were flash bangs and chemical munitions. It does not answer why it happened. The man police describe as the shooter is dead, so there is no defendant to charge, and the city says its investigation is still active.

Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah, Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz, and Mayor Daria Devlin briefed reporters Saturday afternoon, Oct. 10, 2026, and the City of Erie released a written account afterward, which TalkErie published. The city said patrol officers responded at about 4:53 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, to a ShotSpotter alert indicating two gunshots in the 700 block of Perry Street, arrived within minutes, and found two women dead outside a residence. The city said video evidence and witness accounts show the two women had arrived at the residence, appeared distressed, and sought help from neighbors, and that investigators believe gunfire occurred inside the home before the suspected shooter came out and fatally shot both women. "Our investigation is ongoing, and the details are difficult," Lorah said.

The city said officers had limited information about whether the suspect was still inside, whether there was an ongoing threat, and whether others, including children, were in danger. Officers sought a search warrant, tried without success to make contact with anyone inside, and sent drones in to assess the house. SWAT officers then breached multiple doors and sent in a robot before entering. Based on the evidence so far, the city said, the eight victims were killed and the suspected shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound before police arrived, and no gunshots were fired after officers were on scene. Lorah said the sounds reported as gunfire during the response came from flash-bang devices and chemical munitions used by SWAT officers.

The city listed the victims by age and location. Two women, ages 51 and 37, were found outside. Two children, a 5-year-old boy and a girl of 1 year and 10 months, were found on the first floor. Four people, a 24-year-old woman, a 44-year-old woman, a 19-year-old man, and a 21-year-old man, were found on the second floor and in the stairwell. The city said a woman who was eight months pregnant was among the victims. The suspected shooter, a 45-year-old man, was found dead on the second floor with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, and a firearm was recovered from his person. The city's release did not name him or any of the victims.

Friday night's accounts are what the city was correcting. Erie News Now, WPXI, and WTAE reported overnight that more shots were heard during a standoff, and Lorah told WJET, according to WTAE, that he could not confirm the number of people involved. Saturday's release replaces those accounts with the city's own timeline. Mayor Devlin said, "I want to start by speaking directly to the families who lost loved ones last night. I am so deeply sorry." The city said it is working with UPMC Crisis Services, AHN Behavioral Health, local schools, and other partners to support families, neighbors, students, and first responders. No one has been charged, and the man police describe as the suspected shooter is dead. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.