Erie Shooting

Just before 5 p.m. Friday, officers responded to a home near Perry Street after witnesses reported a man firing a weapon outside before he ran inside, according to Fox News. Erie's SWAT team and a large contingent of officers surrounded the property and waited for a search warrant before entering. Investigators found the suspected shooter dead inside, killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Lorah said.

A gunman killed multiple people in Erie, Pennsylvania, Friday night, then turned the gun on himself. Police confirmed the deaths. Two women were among them, Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said, though he declined to give a full count. Lorah has worked in law enforcement for nearly three decades. He called this the worst scene of his career. Nothing compared. "There was a large loss of life inside that residence and outside that residence," he told local television, according to Fox News. "It's a horrific scene."

The city of Erie said the shooting left "multiple deaths" and posed no continuing threat to the public. "We understand that this news brings deep shock and sorrow to our residents," the city said. It pledged to work with Erie police and release verified details as they emerge.

Lorah would not say what set off the attack. Investigators were still processing the scene, he told reporters, and working to determine exactly what happened. Erie's Criminal Investigations Division is leading that work. Police expect another update Saturday morning, Fox News reported.

Friday's shooting follows another deadly attack at a private home elsewhere in the country. In Bowdoin, Maine, state police found four people dead inside a house, an attack they linked to a string of highway shootings that wounded three drivers nearby, CNN reported. A 34-year-old man was arrested in that case and taken to a regional jail.

Lorah grew somber describing the scene. "I want to be candid with our community," he said, according to Fox News. "This is one of the most difficult and heartbreaking scenes our officers and investigators have ever encountered. The loss of life is devastating, and the circumstances we are working through are deeply disturbing."