Nine Dead, Including Two Children, in Erie Mass Shooting

**Updated 20:02 UTC.** Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook on Monday identified the suspected gunman as Matthew Stone Sr., 45, and named six adult victims: his wife Michelle Stone, 44; their children Angelina Stone, 24, Matthew Stone Jr., 21, and Jonathan Stone, 19; Lora Roberts, 37, the sister of Michelle Stone; and Twila Tanner, 51, a family friend. Cook said he cannot release the names of the two children, a 5-year-old boy and a girl aged 22 months, because they are under 18. Police said Angelina Stone was eight months pregnant and that the two children were hers. Cook ruled the death of Stone Sr. a suicide and the deaths of the others homicides, and said all but Roberts were pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not determined a motive and are treating the shooting as a domestic situation. On Sunday, Julius Windham, the father of the 22-month-old girl, stood at a memorial of candles, flowers and stuffed animals outside the Perry Street home and told the Associated Press the gunman, the grandfather of the children, had never seemed distressed. "I think that was a front for him," Windham said. This is a developing story.

**Updated 22:10 UTC.** Erie police cleared 722 Perry Street as a crime scene early Saturday evening, Chief Rick Lorah said Sunday, and family members and neighbors gathered outside the house for a vigil, its breached doors and windows covered in plywood. Officers and detectives who had worked the scene nonstop since Friday night went home late Saturday and returned Sunday to examine what they had collected. Lorah said investigators recovered an empty magazine and a partially full magazine still inside the .40-caliber handgun found on the 45-year-old suspect; the gun was registered to him. He said he was not aware of any other gun found inside the home, and investigators are still working to determine how many shots were fired. Police also collected what Lorah called a substantial amount of cellphones, including the phones of the two women found dead outside, in hopes the devices will help explain what the women knew when they arrived in distress Friday. The department's two chaplains and its peer support group have been meeting with officers since the shooting, Lorah said, and he thanked the community for what he called a massive outpouring of food, cards and support. The coroner's office had still not released the names of any of the victims as of Sunday. The Erie Times-News notes the shooting is the 26th mass killing in the United States this year, per a USA Today, AP and Northeastern University database. This is a developing story.

**Updated 13:40 UTC.** Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said no autopsies will be performed on any of the nine people killed. Cook's office gave fuller victim detail: the homicide victims were a 51-year-old woman, a 37-year-old woman, a 5-year-old boy, a girl aged 1 year 10 months, a 44-year-old woman, a 19-year-old man, a 21-year-old man, and a 24-year-old woman whom Cook described as full-term pregnant. The suspected gunman, a 45-year-old man, was found on the second floor with a .40-caliber handgun that police said was registered to him. Chief Rick Lorah said officers were ready to go in immediately if they heard gunfire, cries for help, or saw someone trying to escape, and that obtaining a search warrant was not a factor in the decision. He said police had prior contact with the suspected shooter; the last interaction he could recall was in 2022. Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz said her office is working with Erie police on the investigation. No names have been released. The coroner's office said names will be released after families are notified. This is a developing story.

**Updated 13:25 UTC.** Erie officials gave their fullest account of the shooting at a Saturday night press conference. Police Chief Rick Lorah said he believes mental health was a factor, but he cautioned that it was still too early to name a motive. He described the case as a domestic situation: eight of the nine people who died were family members, and all of them had been living at the house at 722 Perry Street, Lorah said. The ninth person killed was a 51-year-old family friend, found outside with a 37-year-old woman who was the sister-in-law of one of the victims. Inside the house, police found a 5-year-old boy and a 22-month-old girl on the first floor, along with a 24-year-old woman, a 44-year-old woman, a 19-year-old man and a 21-year-old man. Investigators believe the 45-year-old gunman most likely killed the people inside first, then went outside and shot the two women, then went back inside and took his own life. Erie City Councilman Andre Horton said his heart went out to the family, the community, and the officers who responded. No names have been released. This is a developing story.

**Updated 00:45 UTC.** Saturday's reporting from Erie filled in more of the official response. Mayor Daria Devlin commended the officers who answered the Friday call, saying they arrived at a horrific scene and carried out their duties with courage and professionalism. She added that the officers are members of this community too, and will carry the weight of what happened with them. Reuters confirmed Saturday night that the 45-year-old gunman had still not been identified, and that investigators had yet to establish a motive. Governor Josh Shapiro posted on X that he had offered the mayor his administration's full support, calling the shooting tragic. Police Chief Rick Lorah, describing the scene, said some scenes stay with officers long after they leave them. This is a developing story.

**Updated 22:20 UTC.** Erie police and the county coroner gave their first detailed account of the shooting at a Saturday afternoon press conference. Police Chief Rick Lorah said the suspected gunman was a 45-year-old man related to seven of the eight people he killed; the eighth victim was a friend of one of the victims, a woman who was eight months pregnant. The eight people shot dead were six adults and two children: police described finding a 5-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl on the first floor of the home, two women and two young men in a stairwell, and the gunman on the second floor. County Coroner Lyell Cook ruled the deaths of all eight victims homicides, including the pregnant woman's unborn child, and ruled the gunman's death a suicide. Lorah said video and audio recovered by investigators captured muffled gunshots inside the home just before two 'distressed' women arrived and pounded on the door shortly before 5 p.m. Friday; the gunman came out and shot them as they ran toward him, then went back inside. Officers arrived within minutes of a ShotSpotter alert and found the two women dead outside, Lorah said, adding that no shots were fired after police arrived and that the sounds heard during the response came from tactical flash bangs. He declined to discuss a motive or the victims' identities, saying out of respect for the families he would not describe what officers found inside the home. This is a developing story.

**Updated 19:45 UTC.** Reuters independently confirmed Saturday afternoon that nine people are dead in Erie, citing a city statement saying investigators determined all nine deaths happened before officers reached Perry Street. The Erie Times-News reported that no shots were fired after police arrived: officers found two mortally wounded women outside, then surrounded the home, where a witness had seen the gunman firing at the women before he went in. Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said all but one of the nine was pronounced dead at the scene, the other dying at a hospital; some victims were taken to the county morgue, others to a local funeral home, and one remained at the hospital Saturday morning. Authorities said late Saturday morning they had not established a motive or any connection between the gunman and the others killed. The ages and sexes of the victims are expected at the 4 p.m. local-time press conference at Erie City Hall. This is a developing story.

**Updated 19:11 UTC.** Erie officials clarified several details Saturday afternoon. According to the city, officers reached Perry Street within minutes of a ShotSpotter alert on Friday, and investigators believe all nine deaths happened before police arrived. The loud sounds heard during the response were not gunfire, the city said, but flash bangs from the tactical team. The mayor's office urged residents to be careful about what they share online, pointing to unverified reports and speculation circulating since the shooting. Mayor Daria Devlin is expected to address the city at the 4 p.m. press conference at Erie City Hall alongside Police Chief Rick Lorah. This is a developing story.

**Updated 17:08 UTC.** Erie police have scheduled a news conference at City Hall for 4 p.m. Saturday local time, where Chief Rick Lorah is expected to release the ages and sexes of the nine people killed. Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said his office was only beginning to confirm identities Saturday morning; all but one of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene, and one died at a hospital. The death toll breakdown stands at eight people fatally shot and the suspected gunman dead of an apparent self-inflicted wound. No motive has been established and no names have been released. This is a developing story.

**Updated 16:36 UTC.** Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro responded to the shooting publicly on Saturday, saying he had spoken with Erie Mayor Daria Devlin and offered his administration's full support. "I've spoken with Mayor Devlin and offered my Administration's full support following the tragic mass shooting in Erie last night, killing nine of our fellow Pennsylvanians," Shapiro wrote in a public post. "My heart breaks for this family. Lori and I are praying for their loved ones and the entire Erie community." Erie police said the investigation was still in its early hours Saturday morning. No motive has been established, and officials have not released the names of any of the victims or the gunman. This is a developing story.

What happened

Police in Erie, Pennsylvania, were called to Perry Street around 5 p.m. local time on Friday, October 9, after witnesses reported seeing a man fire a gun on the street and then go inside a home.

When officers arrived near 7th and Perry Streets, they found two women dead in the road from gunshot wounds. Officers surrounded the home, believing the gunman might be barricaded inside. Investigators later determined that all nine deaths happened before police arrived: no shots were fired after officers reached the scene, and the sounds heard during the response came from tactical flash bangs.

When police entered, they found six more victims dead inside along with the gunman. Nine people were dead in total: eight people shot and killed, including two children and a woman who was eight months pregnant, and the suspected gunman dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police have not publicly released the name of the gunman or any of the victims.

Officers and SWAT teams kept the home surrounded for hours while investigators worked from the street. Late Friday, the City of Erie and Mayor Daria Devlin put out a joint statement saying the situation had been contained and asking residents to give investigators room to do their work.

What police said

Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah confirmed that the suspect died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He called the scene one of the most difficult and heartbreaking his officers had ever encountered.

"The loss of life is devastating and the circumstances we are working through are deeply disturbing," Lorah said. "Our investigators are working diligently to establish the full circumstances of what occurred."

The City of Erie and Mayor Daria Devlin released a joint statement on Friday night calling the shooting "a terrible tragedy" and assuring residents that the shooter was deceased and there was no ongoing threat.

Lorah declined to speculate on a motive or to describe details of the scene, saying out of respect for the victims and their loved ones that he would not discuss specifics. He said investigators would need time to piece together what happened.

What's next

As of Saturday morning, police said the investigation was in its early hours. No motive had been established, and the coroner's office had not released the victims' names. The city said counselors and support services would be made available to residents shaken by the shooting.

Investigators spent Saturday working through the home on Perry Street, and officials said further updates would follow as confirmed information emerged.

At Saturday afternoon's press conference, Chief Lorah gave the most detailed account yet: a 45-year-old gunman related to seven of the eight victims, the eighth a family friend, one victim eight months pregnant, and two child victims aged five and one. The coroner ruled all eight victims' deaths homicides, including the pregnant woman's unborn child, and the gunman's death a suicide. No motive has been established, and no names have been released.