Shocking footage has captured the moment terrified bystanders fled for safety as gunshots rang out during a mass shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania, in which eight people, including a pregnant woman and her unborn baby, were killed.
The incident unfolded shortly before 5pm on Friday at a home on Perry Street, near Buffalo, where 45-year-old Matthew Stone Sr. allegedly opened fire on members of his own family and two women who tried to intervene.
The footage shows two women rushing towards a commotion before gunshots suddenly erupt. A voice can then be heard screaming, “Oh my God,” as children scream in terror and the women run away.
The video is believed to capture part of the deadly incident, which left the local community devastated.
Pregnant daughter and young grandchildren among victims
Stone Sr.’s victims included his wife, Michelle Stone, 44, and their three children — Matthew Stone Jr., 21, Jonathan Stone, 19, and their pregnant daughter, Angelina Stone, 24.
Angelina’s unborn third child, Kyrie, also died in the tragedy.
Her two young children, five-year-old Isiah and one-year-old Amari’anna, were also killed.
Two women who reportedly tried to stop the violence, Lora Roberts, 37, and family friend Twila Tanner, 51, were among the other victims.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, although police have suggested that the suspect’s mental health may have played a role.
Police describe horrific scene
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah described the incident as horrific, saying it was the worst scene he had ever encountered.
When officers arrived, Roberts and Tanner were found dead outside the house.
Inside, officers discovered the bodies of the two young children on the first floor. Two women and two men were then found dead in a stairwell, while Stone Sr.’s body was located upstairs, according to police.
The tragedy prompted an outpouring of grief across the community, with residents gathering for a candlelight vigil on Saturday night to remember the victims.
Angelina’s friend, Lisa Simmers, spoke about the young mother and her children, describing them as innocent victims.
“She was pregnant, about to have her baby in a couple days and she had a daughter that was almost two and her son Isiah and they were all just beautiful,” Simmers told Erie News Now.
“Her two babies were on the spectrum. Innocent children, couldn’t have told on that man if they wanted to, and he still killed them.”
She added: “A person kills two innocent children, a pregnant woman and the people coming to try to help her.”
Tributes paid to women killed trying to help
Roberts was reportedly a frequent visitor to the home and had been helping Angelina during her pregnancy.
Fundraising organisers Kellie Eggleston and Christine Tombaugh remembered Roberts as “a loving mother of five, a devoted fiancée, and a cherished friend to so many”.
Tanner, meanwhile, was reportedly the only victim who was not a relative of the family.
The shooting has left the Erie community mourning the loss of eight people, including young children and an unborn baby, as authorities continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
