Gunman kills eight in Pennsylvania home shooting

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 11 Oct, 23:54 · Archive

A 45-year-old man shot dead eight people at a home in Pennsylvania before taking his own life.

A 45-year-old man shot dead eight people at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania on Friday before taking his own life. The gunman was a grandfather related to seven of the victims, according to Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah. The eighth victim was a friend of one of the women. Among those killed were a one-year-old girl, a five-year-old boy and a pregnant woman.

Julius Windham, whose one-year-old daughter Amarianna was killed along with her pregnant mother and the mother's five-year-old son, said the gunman never seemed distressed or out of the ordinary. 'I think that was a front for him,' Windham said at a memorial on Sunday. 'Him every day, him smiling and being just - you would think of nothing like that would happen.'

Video and audio evidence recovered by investigators captured muffled gunshot sounds from inside the home before two women arrived and began pounding on the door. The gunman came out and shot them as they ran toward him. Officers found the two women dead outside. After deploying a drone and robot, they discovered five more bodies inside: the five-year-old boy and one-year-old girl on the first floor, two more women and two young men in a stairwell, and the gunman on the second floor. Police Chief Lorah declined to discuss motive but suggested mental health could be a factor.

How it is being reported

• Gunman who killed eight was family's patriarchThe gunman who shot dead eight people at a home in the US state of Pennsylvania was a grandfather who seemed like a regular "good guy".The West Australian · 11 Oct, 23:45
• Gunman who killed eight was family's patriarchThe gunman who shot dead eight people at a home in the US state of Pennsylvania was a grandfather who seemed like a regular "good guy".Perth Now · 11 Oct, 23:45

In this story: Julius Windham · Rick Lorah · Erie · Pennsylvania

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