Pennsylvania shooter who killed 8 was family’s patriarch, father of toddler killed says

A man whose toddler was among eight people killed in a mass shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania, said Sunday that the gunman was a grandfather who never seemed distressed or out of the ordinary.

“I think that was a front for him,” Julius Windham said as he stood at a memorial to victims of Friday’s shooting, including his 1-year-old daughter Amarianna, her pregnant mother and the woman’s 5-year-old son and unborn baby.

“Him every day, him smiling and being just — you would think of nothing like that would happen,” Windham said.

The 45-year-old gunman took his own life. Authorities have not released his name, but Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said he was related to seven of the victims. The eighth was a friend of the pregnant woman, he said. Police have not made their names public, either.

Mourners on Sunday placed candles, flowers and stuffed animals outside the home where the man opened fire shortly before 5 p.m. Friday. Windham wore a T-shirt with pictures of the women and children and the words, “Forever In My Heart.”

“Words can’t even explain what I’m going through right now,” Windham said. “But I gotta be strong for my community, you know what I’m saying? My family, my daughters, my sons, everybody.”

Video and audio evidence recovered by investigators included muffled gunshot sounds coming from inside the home just before two “distressed” women arrived and began pounding on the door, Lorah said. The gunman then came out and shot them as they ran toward him, before returning inside.

Multiple people, including two children, were fatally shot at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, according to CNN affiliate WICU/WSEE. The police chief described the circumstances as “deeply disturbing,” and authorities say the suspect is dead and there is no ongoing threat to the public.

Responding officers found the two women dead outside. After deploying a drone and robot, they went inside and found the bodies of the 5-year-old boy and 1-year-old girl on the first floor; two more women and two young men in a stairwell; and the shooter on the second floor.

“Out of respect for the victims and the families, I will not discuss the details of what our officers encountered inside that home,” the chief said at a news conference.

“But I want our community to understand the gravity of what happened and the profound impact this tragedy has had on those involved and on our community as a whole,” he said.

Greg Wohlford/USA Today/Reuters

Erie is about 120 miles (190 kilometers) north of Pittsburgh.

Lorah declined to discuss motive but suggested mental health could be a factor. He said investigators would talk to relatives and examine the cellphones of the women who were killed outside the home.

“They knew something was going on at that house,” Lorah said. “We have to figure out what that is.”

Nicole and Debra Eller, whose best friend was among the victims, said they’ve known the family for more than 30 years. Nicole Eller said the shooter “was a good guy, and then he started going downhill with everything.”

“They were a lovely family. Who would have thought this would ever happen?” Debra Eller said. “Oh my gosh, this is so upsetting. This should have never happened to her or the kids or anybody. His grandchildren, his kids, how can you do that?”

The Erie shooting was reminiscent of a 1982 massacre in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in which a man killed 13 people, including five of his own children.

At a news conference on Saturday, Erie Mayor Daria Devlin addressed a portion of her remarks directly to the victims’ families.

“I am so deeply sorry,” Devlin said. “What happened to you was horrific, and there is nothing that any of us can say today that will make this any easier. … Our entire community is with you, we’re grieving with you. And we are here to support you.”

宾夕法尼亚州伊利市发生大规模枪击案，造成八人死亡，其中一名遇难者是幼儿。周日，一名男子表示，枪手是一位祖父，他看起来从未表现出任何不安或异常。

“我认为那是他的伪装，”朱利叶斯·温德姆站在周五枪击案遇难者纪念碑前说道，遇难者包括他 1 岁的女儿阿玛丽安娜、她怀孕的母亲以及这位母亲 5 岁的儿子和未出生的孩子。

“他每天都面带微笑，为人真诚——你根本想不到会发生这样的事，”温德姆说。

这名45岁的枪手已自杀身亡。当局尚未公布其姓名，但伊利市警察局长里克·洛拉表示，他与七名受害者有亲属关系。他说，第八名受害者是那名孕妇的朋友。警方也尚未公布他们的姓名。

周日，哀悼者们在事发房屋外摆放蜡烛、鲜花和毛绒玩具，周五下午5点前不久，这名男子在该房屋内开枪。温德姆身穿一件印有遇难妇女和儿童照片以及“永在我心中”字样的T恤。

“我现在的处境简直无法用语言来形容，”温德姆说。“但我必须坚强起来，为了我的社区，你明白我的意思吗？为了我的家人，我的女儿们，我的儿子们，为了所有人。”

洛拉表示，调查人员获取的视频和音频证据包括：两名“惊慌失措”的女子抵达并开始猛烈敲门前，屋内传出闷闷的枪声。随后，枪手走出屋外，向朝他跑来的女子开枪，之后返回屋内。

据美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）附属电视台WICU/WSEE报道，宾夕法尼亚州伊利市一处住宅发生枪击事件，多人中包括两名儿童不幸身亡。警方负责人称事件“令人深感不安”，并表示嫌疑人已死亡，公众安全已无威胁。

赶到现场的警员在屋外发现了两名女性的尸体。随后，他们部署了一架无人机和一台机器人，进入屋内，在一楼发现了5岁男孩和1岁女孩的尸体；在楼梯间发现了另外两名女性和两名年轻男子的尸体；在二楼发现了枪手的尸体。

“出于对受害者及其家属的尊重，我不会讨论我们的警员在那所房子里遇到的细节，”警长在新闻发布会上说。

“但我希望我们的社区能够理解所发生事件的严重性，以及这场悲剧对相关人员和我们整个社区造成的深远影响，”他说。

格雷格·沃尔福德/今日美国/路透社

伊利位于匹兹堡以北约 120 英里（190 公里）处。

洛拉拒绝透露作案动机，但暗示精神健康问题可能是一个因素。他说，调查人员将与遇害女性的亲属交谈，并检查她们的手机。

“他们知道那栋房子里肯定发生了什么事，”洛拉说。“我们得弄清楚到底是什么事。”

妮可和黛布拉·埃勒的挚友也在遇难者之列，她们说认识这家人已经超过30年了。妮可·埃勒说，枪手“以前是个好人，后来一切都开始走下坡路了”。

“他们一家人真好。谁能想到会发生这种事？”黛布拉·埃勒说道。“天哪，这太令人难过了。这种事不应该发生在她、孩子们，或者任何人身上。他的孙子孙女，他的孩子们，你怎么能做出这种事？”

伊利枪击案让人想起 1982 年发生在宾夕法尼亚州威尔克斯-巴里的一起大屠杀，当时一名男子杀害了 13 人，其中包括他自己的 5 个孩子。

周六的新闻发布会上，伊利市市长达莉娅·德夫林在讲话中直接向遇难者家属表达了部分诉求。

“我深感抱歉，”德夫林说。“你所遭遇的一切太可怕了，今天我们说什么都无法减轻你的痛苦……我们整个社区都与你同在，我们与你一同悲伤。我们会一直支持你。”