Heavily-pregnant mom, 24, and her two children shot and killed in horrific Erie murder-suicide rampage that left nine dead
A heavily-pregnant mom and her two children were among the victims of a horrific rampage that left nine people dead.
The killings happened in Erie, about 120 miles north of Pittsburgh, on Friday evening in a home on the 700 block of Perry Street.
One of the victims has been identified as mother-of-two Angelina Stone, 24, by her family in social media posts.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said at a press conference on Saturday confirmed that a mother who was eight months pregnant had been killed in the massacre. He also said a five-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl had been killed.
Stone proudly noted on her Instagram profile that Isaiah had been born on July 15, 2021, making him five, while Amari’anna had been born on November 21, 2024, making her one.
She also suggested that her third child, Kyrie, was set to be born on October 14 – this upcoming Wednesday.
A 37-year-old female, a 41-year-old female, a 44-year-old female, a 19-year-old male and a 21-year-old male were also confirmed dead, police said Saturday.
The shooter, 45, took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot, bringing the total death toll to nine. A 40-caliber registered handgun was found on him.
Angelina Stone, 24, was identified by family members as one of the victims in a shooting spree that left nine dead, including the gunman, Friday in Erie, Pennsylvania
Stones, a mom-of-two, said on social media that she had two children: a five-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl
Police said the 45-year-old shooter had taken his own life with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot
Aaliyah Williams, who identified herself as the sister of Amari’anna’s father, said in a GoFundMe fundraiser that Stone had been killed in a murder-suicide.
‘Now our family is facing the painful task of laying them to rest,’ Williams, of Erie, wrote.
She said Stone’s family did not have the money to cover the losses caused by what they deemed an ‘unthinkable tragedy.’
The family said they only had two weeks to finalize funeral expenses and other arrangements for the mom and her children.
‘This is more than [we] can carry alone right now, and we truly need the community to rally around us,’ the fundraiser read.
As of Saturday afternoon, about $11,000 of an initial $13,000 goal had been raised.
Stone frequently wrote about her children online and posted photos of her pregnancies, showing off her baby bumps.
On September 25, Stone had posted an ultrasound of her unborn child and noted that she was 36 weeks pregnant.
‘Momma cant wait to hold you,’ she wrote then.
Eight of the nine dead were related to the shooter, police said on Saturday
The suspect emerged from the Erie home and shot two women outside, according to police
Lorah said Saturday that eight of the nine dead were related to the shooter. None of them were named.
One of the women outside the home was a family friend and the other was a sister-in-law to one of the victims.
Ring doorbell video footage showed that the two women arrived at the residence ‘appearing distressed’ and ‘seeking assistance from neighbors’ while pounding on their doors, he said.
Audio appeared to capture muffled gunfire from inside the residence before the suspect emerged from the home and shot the women.
All of the victims inside the residence lived there, but the two women outside the home did not.
Lorah said it was too soon to discuss motive for the shooting, though he said mental health could be at play.
The police investigation, which was ongoing, would focus on what the women ‘knew’ when they arrived at the house.
Neighbors gathered outside the scene of the shooting, which was cordoned off, on Friday evening
Lorah said new information could perhaps be obtained through looking at their cellphones and further speaking to witnesses and family members.
Police had ‘limited information’ and did not know if the suspect remained inside the home, fled the scene or posed an ongoing threat.
Lorah said officers were met by an eerie silence and that there were ‘no cries of help from the inside.’
Law enforcement also considered the possibility of hostages being present, including children, while seeking a search warrant. Drones and a robot were deployed to eventually detect the victims inside.
Erie authorities said earlier on Saturday that all of the deaths happened before local police officers arrived.
More gunfire was seemingly heard afterwards, initially stoking fears that others could be in danger.
However, Erie authorities later clarified that the loud sounds were in fact flash bangs from the law enforcement response.
