The Erie gunman who killed eight was a grandfather, a victim’s father says. Police still seek a motive
USA Today reported that police in Erie, Pennsylvania, were still seeking a motive after Friday night’s shooting that killed eight people. The Guardian and the Associated Press reported Sunday that the gunman was a grandfather and the family’s patriarch, according to the father of one of the slain children. AP had reported Saturday that the suspected shooter was also among the dead, which brings the count to nine; the earliest reports from The New York Times and The Washington Post said eight. WTAE reported that two small children were among the victims, and ABC News said a pregnant woman was among them. We have not seen the victims’ names or the gunman’s identity confirmed by police, and we are not publishing either. Separately, Georgia police said five relatives died in an apparent murder-suicide, The Guardian, The New York Times and USA Today reported.
The shooting is among the deadliest in the state in years, and the detail that the gunman was a relative changes how it is understood, from a random attack to a family killing. But the detail comes from a family member, not from investigators.
For readers in northwest Pennsylvania, the Erie police department and city officials are the sources to follow. For everyone else, it is a reminder that early counts and early explanations change.
Two things are still missing: an official account of what happened inside the home and the victims’ names released with their families’ consent. Until police say it, a motive is a guess.
DailyDrop U.S. No. 8 · October 12, 2026