ERIE, Pa. —
As the Erie, Pennsylvania, community continues to mourn the victims of Friday’s mass shooting, officials have identified the eight people who were killed, seven of whom were related to the shooter.
Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook confirmed the names of those who died after gunshots rang out on the city’s east side.
Twila Tanner, 51, and 37-year-old Lora Roberts were pounding on the door of a home before 5 p.m., when 45-year-old Matthew Stone Sr. opened the door and shot both of them.
Matthew Stone Sr. has been identified as a family member of seven of the victims. Cook said he was the father of 19-year-old Jonathan Stone, 21-year-old Matthew Stone Jr. and 24-year-old Angelina Stone, who was pregnant and set to be induced on Monday.
Cook said the names of the two young children, a 1-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy, would not be released. Family told Pittsburgh sister station WTAE that Matthew Stone Sr. was their grandfather.
Michelle Stone, 44, was also killed. Michelle was Lora Roberts’ sister and the wife of Matthew Stone Sr.
Video below: Press conference from Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah
Victims dead before police arrived
Police were at the scene minutes after receiving a ShotSpotter alert. However, they say by that time, all victims were already dead.
After Tanner and Roberts were shot, the gunman was seen running into a nearby home.
Officers surrounded the home before forcing their way inside after securing a warrant.
Once inside, officials say “officers were met with an eerie silence.” Police found multiple bodies, including the bodies of the 5-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl.
‘Horrific scene’
”Yeah, it’s a horrific scene,” said Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah. “There was a large loss of life inside that residence and outside that residence.” Lorah then went on to say, “I can tell you that this is a tragic, tragic situation.”
Authorities say the two young children were both found on the first floor of the home, while the rest of the victims were found in a second-floor stairwell.
The victims in that stairwell included Angelina Stone.
Matthew Stone Sr. was found dead on the second floor. His death was ruled as a suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said the number of lives lost at the home was devastating and that the crime scene was by far the worst one he has ever seen in his law enforcement career.
“Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this tragedy. There are no words that can be adequately expressed the magnitude of the loss of life here,” Lorah said.