Nine killed in shooting in US state of Pennsylvania, including two children

What the report says

Nine people were killed in a shooting on Friday in Erie, Pennsylvania, according to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and local police cited by Al Jazeera. Police said the suspected shooter was among the dead. Local reporting said two children were also among the victims, and the incident unfolded at a home in the city, about 188 kilometres north of Pittsburgh.

According to the account cited by Al Jazeera, officers were called to reports of gunfire around 5:00pm local time and found two women dead in the street. The suspect then barricaded himself inside the house while police surrounded the area. More shots were heard during the standoff. When officers later entered the home, they found additional victims inside and around the property. Police said the attacker appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The shooting prompted a strong reaction from Erie officials. Police Chief Rick Lorah described the scene as unlike anything he had seen in nearly three decades of service, while saying the full circumstances remained “deeply disturbing.” Shapiro said he had offered support to Erie Mayor Daria Devlin. The case adds to broader concern in the United States about recurring mass shootings and the difficulty of advancing gun restrictions.