Eight people were killed and a shooter was found dead Friday night in Erie, Pennsylvania, according to city officials.
The nine deaths were confirmed in a statement issued Saturday by the mayor's office, which had said Friday that there was "no ongoing threat or danger to the public at this time."
Officers responded to a residential home within minutes of receiving an alert, according to a statement released by the city Saturday. Emergency responders could not immediately determine if there was an ongoing threat at the scene, but no gunshots were fired after their arrival. They conducted a tactical response, releasing flash bang devices.
From his quiet home to a shooting spree at school, a Thai teenager's deadly rampageThere was no standoff, and all of the deaths occurred before officers arrived at the scene, according to the statement.
"This is one of the most difficult and heartbreaking scenes our officers and investigators have ever encountered," Chief Rick Lorah of the Erie Police Department told reporters Friday night, according to WABC-TV in New York. "The loss of life is devastating, and the circumstances we are working through are deeply disturbing."
A news conference providing additional details was scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
The identities of the shooter and the victims were not immediately released, and no motive was disclosed. The shooting took place near 7th and Perry Streets, according to the mayor's statement. The area around the intersection is mainly residential, according to map images.