Pennsylvania Grandfather Dead in Murder-Suicide After Killing Nine, Including Pregnant Daughter

Relatives have identified a Pennsylvania grandfather as the gunman who killed nine people, including his pregnant daughter, before taking his own life at a family home in Erie on Friday.

The nine homicide victims included eight people shot dead and Angelina Stone's unborn baby, whose death was also ruled a homicide. Stone had been due to give birth on Wednesday.

Pregnant Daughter Among Pennsylvania Grandfather's Victims

A family fundraiser identified Stone's father as the attacker and described the preparations to bury the mother and her children.

'Angelina's father killed Angelina and her children in a murder-suicide, and now our family is facing the painful task of laying them to rest,' the appeal stated.

Stone's son was five and her daughter Amari'anna was almost two. She had been expecting her third child within days.

Amari'anna's father, identified as Ezekiel, also told Erie News Now that the gunman was his former partner's father.

'It was my baby, bro, and he just took her,' he told the broadcaster. 'Her name was Amari'anna. She's the most beautiful baby God could have created.'

The reported victims were all relatives of the gunman except one, a female friend of Stone's.

Police Reconstruct Pennsylvania Grandfather's Shooting

The shooting unfolded shortly before 5pm on Friday at a home on Erie's East Side. Investigators recovered video and audio evidence indicating shots were fired inside the house before two women, aged 37 and 51, approached and began pounding on the door.

The gunman then stepped outside and shot both women before returning indoors and killing himself, police reported. Officers discovered the women's bodies outside when they arrived.

After deploying a drone and a robot during a standoff, police entered the property. They discovered the two children on the first floor, two women and two men in a stairwell, and the suspect's body upstairs.

Officials told Erie News Now that the weapon was beside the suspect's body.

'It was horrific. It was the worst scene I have ever experienced,' Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah stated at a press conference.

Grief After Pennsylvania Grandfather's Attack

A candlelight vigil outside the home on Saturday night drew community members who lit candles, left balloons and placed stuffed animals at the scene.

Neighbour Candice Delange described hearing the violence from nearby.

'My son heard the first shot go off and then we heard the screaming, and then we heard the next three that went off as well. So it was quite frightening for us to experience,' she stated, WTAE-TV reported.

Lisa Simmers, Ezekiel's sister, described being at the scene and unable to reach the children, in comments quoted by the Post.

'We were here. We heard the shots. We heard everything go down, step by step. We were here while we couldn't run into the house and help the babies,' she stated.

A separate fundraiser identified Lora Roberts as another victim. Organisers Kellie Eggleston and Christine Tombaugh described her as a mother of five and a fiancée.

Governor Josh Shapiro addressed the shooting at a campaign event on Saturday, also referring to a separate deadly ambush involving Philadelphia police officers. 'Today has been a dark day across this commonwealth,' he stated.