A Pennsylvania grandfather fatally shot nine people before taking his own life, relatives said, turning a family gathering in Erie into a devastating mass shooting.
The 45-year-old man, whose name has not been released, opened fire at a family residence in Erie at about 5 p.m. Friday. He later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Erie News Now reported.
Angelina Stone, a 24-year-old pregnant mother and the gunman’s daughter, was among those killed inside the home, according to a GoFundMe page.
Stone’s unborn baby, Kyrie, and her two other young children—five-year-old Isaiah and Amari’anna, who was nearing her second birthday—also died in the shooting, her grieving relatives said.
Kyrie was due to be born the following Wednesday. The unborn baby and the two children were the shooter’s grandchildren.
Erie police were sent to the neighborhood after a ShotSpotter alert detected two gunshots on the street where the rampage took place, the department said.
Officers found two women, ages 37 and 51, dead outside the residence. Inside, they discovered the bodies of a 19-year-old man, a 21-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman.
Authorities have not publicly identified the victims. However, two GoFundMe campaigns said Lora Roberts and her friend Twila Tanner were killed while attempting to shield the children.
An unidentified 45-year-old grandfather killed nine of his family members in a horrifying mass shooting on Friday evening in Erie, Pennsylvania. He then turned the gun on himself, police said
Angelina Stone, a 24-year-old pregnant mother and the daughter of the shooter, was found shot to death in the home, according to a GoFundMe page
Her unborn child, Kyrie, and her two other young kids, five-year-old Isaiah and Amari’anna (pictured with her father), who was about to turn two, also died in the gunfire, her heartbroken family said
“On October 9th in Erie, Pennsylvania, Twila Tanner tragically lost her life while bravely trying to help a friend protect her family from a violent and dangerous individual. In a moment of courage and selflessness, Twila put herself in harm’s way to help others,” a fundraiser for Tanner said.
Kellie Eggleston also launched a fundraising page honoring Roberts.
Eggleston’s fiancé, Adam Posland, shared the appeal on Facebook, writing that Roberts “gave her life trying to save another.”
Public records show that Tanner was 51 and Roberts was 37.
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Roberts was remembered in her fundraiser as a devoted mother of five. She had also been engaged to Jeremy, her partner of 14 years.
Juicesiyah Alexander Ezekiel, the father of Amari’anna, told a local news outlet that the gunman was Stone’s father.
“It was my baby, bro, and he just took her,” Ezekiel told Erie News Now, speaking about his daughter.
“Her name was Amari’anna. She was the most beautiful baby God could have created.”
Lora Roberts (left) and her friend Twila Tanner (right) died in the shooting while trying to protect the children, according to GoFundMe pages
His sister, Lisa Simmers, is also in disbelief over the tragedy.
‘They are all just beautiful children and definitely did not deserve what happened to them.
‘We just want to make it right so that the respects are paid to them and they get the send-off they deserve. At the end of the day, what happened will be remembered for years. This is not something that the city will ever forget,’ Simmers added.
Video surveillance captured gunfire breaking out inside the home before two ‘distressed’ women started banging on the front door, according to authorities.
The shooter then came outside and shot them dead before retreating into the home and turning the gun on himself, police said.
The circumstances surrounding the massacre continue to be investigated, but according to police, they believe this was a ‘mental health’ situation
The circumstances surrounding the massacre remain under investigation, but according to police, they believe this was a mental health situation.
Police said identifications of the victims and shooter are being held as of Sunday because ‘surviving family members are still being notified.’
Our News Outlet contacted the Erie Police Department and the Erie County Coroner’s Office for comment.
