PITTSBURGH — A gunman in Erie killed eight people Friday night, including two children and a pregnant woman, police said, marking one of the worst mass shootings in Pennsylvania history.

Seven of the victims were members of the same family, police said. The eighth was a family friend. The alleged gunman, who authorities have not named but said died from a self-inflected gunshot wound, brought the death toll to nine.

Erie police responded to the home on Perry Street within minutes of the first 911 call around 4:55 p.m. Chief Rick Lorah said investigators believe that everyone inside the home was already dead by that point.

“When we arrived on scene we did not hear a gunshot. We did not hear a cry for help. We did not see movement inside,” Lorah said at a media briefing late Saturday afternoon. “Had any of those been heard, we would have made entry immediately. Those officers were met with an eerie silence.”

Two women were dead outside of the home when police arrived: a 51-year-old woman and a 37-year-old woman.

Lorah said nearby cameras captured the women arriving at the home and it appeared “they knew something was going on at that house.”

He said the cameras captured muffled gunshots — around three or four — coming from inside the home just before the women arrived. He said they appeared distressed and looked to be seeking help from neighbors and banging on the door.

Lorah said footage shows the shooter coming out of the home, engaging with the women, and then shooting them as they move toward him.

When officers ultimately made entry, they found two children dead on the first floor: a 5-year-old boy and a girl roughly two months shy of turning 2.

Four others were found on the stairs to the second floor: a 24-year-old woman, a 44-year-old woman, a 19-year-old man, and a 21-year-old man. Authorities said one of the women was about eight months pregnant. The unborn child was also killed.

In a press release issued late Saturday morning, city and police officials sought to quell rumors that a delay in response might have added to the loss of life.

“Investigators have determined that all deaths occurred before officers arrived,” officials said. “The deaths were not the result of any prolonged standoff or delay in police action.”

Officials said that officers arrived at the Perry Street home “within minutes” of receiving the alert from ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system. No shots were fired inside the home after police arrived, according to the release.

Officials said responding officers had limited information when they first arrived, “including whether the individual remained inside or posed an ongoing threat.

“They continued assessing the situation and gathering information while seeking a search warrant,” officials said.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a social media post late Saturday morning that he’d spoken with Erie Mayor Daria S. Devlin to offer his administration’s support.

“My heart breaks for this family,” he wrote. “Lori and I are praying for their loved ones and the entire Erie community.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., whose district includes Erie, said he’s praying for the community.

“May we hold the victims, their families, and those impacted by this tragedy in our hearts,” he said.

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