Demolition continues on a house at 722 Perry St. in Erie, Pa., on Oct. 28, 2026. Nine people were killed and the shooter committed suicide during a mass shooting there on Oct. 10.
GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS
USA TODAY Network, Reuters
The house that was the site of a mass killing in Erie has been demolished.
Before 8 a.m. on Oct. 28, the Erie Redevelopment Authority had heavy machinery and dumpsters at 722 Perry St. to demolish the structure.
The house was the site of a mass killing on the evening of Oct. 9 when Matthew Stone Sr. killed seven family members, an unborn child and a family friend before killing himself.
The demolition began just before 9 a.m. and the structure was down shortly after 9:30 a.m. Crews had large dumpsters at the scene to remove debris.
“It’s a matter of getting rid of the memories of the situation,” Aaron Snippert, executive director of the Erie Redevelopment Authority, said.
Why the house was demolished
Snippert said not only was the house associated with horrible memories, it was also uninhabitable.
The house was deemed uninhabitable in 2025 due to raw sewage inside the residence. In a previous Erie Times-News story, Snippert said a notice of violation was issued for the property by code enforcement in 2025 after unsanitary conditions were reported.
“For the property there would be no good outcome for this in the long term,” Snippert said. “If we didn’t intervene and try to get possession of this property… this property would sit in this condition for years. Likely there’s no one who would want to do anything with this property and the condition of it is not going to get any better. Demolition is the only outcome.”
Conditions inside the house also concerned city officials and police.
“Detectives described the home as ‘extremely filthy,'” Rick Lorah, chief of the Erie Bureau of Police, said during a news conference on Oct. 15. “The shower, toilet and kitchen sink did not appear to be working. Numerous two-liter bottles were filled with urine throughout the house.”
The property was later declared blighted and acquired by the city from Tonya Plyler, who owned the house and was Matthew Stone’s sister.
“Getting possession of the property was a big one,” Snippert said. “We worked through the blighted property process, and we were able to get in contact with the owner of the property.” Once the city was transferred ownership of the home, and the home was condemned, the demolition process was expedited.
Demolition began about a week after the property was acquired.
Neighbors want peace after demolition
Neighbors on the Perry Street block said they hope the demolition brings peace after the tragedy.
“I think it will bring us closure and peace,” said Carolann Lindstrom, who lives near 722 Perry St. “I won’t really miss anything about this house as I just saw it as people coming in and out of it. I just hope they turn it into something beautiful.”
Another neighbor said he witnessed part of the Oct. 9 shooting.
“I was checking on the one girl that was shot (outside) after I heard the shots,” Dennis O’Flippin, a neighbor on East Eighth Street, said. “I came around the corner as he (Matthew Stone Sr.) was getting ready to go back into the house. From there I went to go check on the girl that was by the car. I tried to see if she had a pulse and she didn’t. Then the police pulled me off the scene.”
O’Flippin said he wants the neighborhood to be seen differently while neighbors move forward from the shooting.
“I hope this brings different thoughts and different actions to the neighborhood,” he said.
Snippert said the property will remain a grass lot until it can be turned into something beneficial to the community.
Nicholas Sorensen can be contacted at Nsorensen@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: House where Erie mass killing occurred is demolished
Reporting by Nicholas Sorensen, Erie Times-News / Erie Times-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
A washing machine dangles from an excavator as demolition continues on a house at 722 Perry St. in Erie, Pa., on Oct. 28, 2026. Nine people were killed and the shooter committed suicide during a mass shooting there on Oct. 10. GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS USA TODAY Network, Reuters
Copyright Reuters or USA Today via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published October 28, 2026 at 1:25 PM.