US man kills seven relatives, family friend

A 45-year-old man shot dead seven members of his family and a family friend at a residence in Pennsylvania, United States, before apparently taking his own life, authorities said on Saturday.

The victims, killed in the city of Erie, included two young children and a woman who was eight months pregnant.

Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said officers responded to reports of gunfire on Friday evening and found two women dead in the street.

According to Lorah, video footage showed the women arriving at the residence in distress before attempting to contact neighbours and gain entry into the house.

The gunman then came out of the building, shot both women and went back inside, the police chief said.

He added that the suspect barricaded himself inside the residence as officers surrounded the building and repeatedly ordered him to come out. He was later discovered inside with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Lorah confirmed that the gunman and seven of the victims were related, while the eighth victim was a family friend.

Among those killed inside the house were a five-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl. The other victims, comprising men and women, were between the ages of 19 and 51. One of the women was eight months pregnant.

Local media outlet Erie News Now reported that officers who responded to the incident were being offered counselling following the killings.

Reacting to the tragedy on Saturday, Erie Mayor Daria Devlin said the incident had left residents, the victims’ relatives and emergency responders struggling to cope with the loss.

“Many people across our community are hurting today: the neighbors who witnessed what happened, the families and friends of those who were killed, the officers and first responders who answered these calls, and others struggling to make sense of something so terrible,” Devlin told reporters.

She acknowledged that the loss could not be reversed but pledged support for those affected by the killings.

“We cannot undo what happened last night, and we cannot take away the grief that these families are carrying, but we can make sure that they don’t have to carry it alone,” she said.

US man kills seven relatives, family friend