Eight people were killed in a mass shooting at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday evening, including a pregnant woman who was reportedly just days from giving birth, along with her two young children.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said Saturday that all eight victims were killed before officers arrived at the scene. The suspected gunman, a 45-year-old man, was found dead from what investigators believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Lorah said the man was related to seven of the eight victims and was the family’s patriarch and a grandfather, according to police and a relative who spoke to The Associated Press. The eighth victim was a family friend.
Among those killed was Angelina Stone, who was eight months pregnant. CBS Pittsburgh reported she was four days from giving birth, while a family friend told Erie News Now she was expected to deliver “in a couple of days.”
Stone’s children, identified in a GoFundMe set up to cover funeral expenses as Isiah and Amari’anna, were also killed. The fundraiser identified her unborn child as Kyrie.
Family friend Lisa Simmers described Stone’s children to Erie News Now as “beautiful, beautiful children” who “definitely did not deserve what happened to them.” She said, “She had a daughter that was almost two, and her son Isiah, who I believe was like four or five.”
Neighbor Jennifer Macko told CBS Pittsburgh, “This situation is horrific and unimaginable.”
Lorah said mental health may have played a role in the shooting but cautioned it was too early to determine a motive. The Erie Police Department continues to investigate.
The GoFundMe organizer wrote, “I’m raising funds for Angelina, Isiah, baby girl Amari’anna, and unborn Kyrie after an unthinkable tragedy.” The organizer added, “This is more than our family can carry alone right now, and we truly need the community to rally around us. Any donation, no matter the amount, will help ease the financial burden and help us give Angelina, Isiah, Amari’anna, and Kyrie the farewell they deserve.”
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