Nine people are dead following a mass shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania, in one of the worst such incidents in the city’s history, officials said.
Police said eight people were killed at a residential property and the suspected shooter was also found dead. The city said there was no continuing threat to the public and no standoff.
Emergency responders were called to the home on Friday evening, local time. Officers carried out a tactical response and used flash-bang devices before entering the scene.
All the deaths occurred before police arrived, according to a statement released by the city. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the circumstances of the shooting or identified those who died.
Residents reported hearing gunfire in the neighbourhood. Jennifer Lott, who lives on the block, said she went outside after hearing the shots and later saw a woman lying in the street.
“I got closer, and I noticed she had a gunshot wound to her head and she wasn’t moving, and everybody kept telling me to back up; the police were coming,” she said.
Erie police chief Rick Lorah said the scene had been among the most distressing he had encountered during his 28 years as an officer.
“This is one of the most difficult and heartbreaking scenes our officers and investigators have ever encountered,” he said. “The loss of life is devastating, and the circumstances we are working through are deeply disturbing.”
Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro said he had spoken to Erie mayor Daria Devlin and offered his administration’s “full support” following the shooting.
Erie, the fifth most populous city in Pennsylvania, lies on the shores of Lake Erie.
