Eight people, including seven family members and a family friend, were killed in a shooting on Friday evening in Erie, Pennsylvania, authorities said. The suspected gunman, a 45-year-old man and relative of most of the victims, died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene.

Police responded to a residential neighborhood on the east side of Erie just before 5 p.m. after receiving an emergency alert. According to Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah, officers were initially met with "eerie silence" upon arrival. A neighbor’s Ring doorbell camera recorded two women arriving at the home, loudly pounding on the door and screaming, followed by the sounds of muffled gunshots. Shortly after, those two women were found shot dead in the street outside.

After deploying a drone and a robot to assess the situation, officers entered the house and discovered seven bodies inside, including young children—a 5-year-old boy and a girl aged 1 year and 10 months—as well as an eight-months-pregnant woman. All those inside were family members of the suspected shooter. Police confirmed that the shooter died inside the home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound involving a .40-caliber handgun.

Chief Lorah described the scene as the worst he had ever encountered. Authorities said there was no ongoing threat when officers arrived, and no gunfire was reported following their entry. Crime scene tape remained in place around the property the following day, restricting public access.

Separately, on the same day, five people were fatally shot in what officials characterized as a family-related murder-suicide in Douglas, Georgia. Police said the incident stemmed from domestic violence. Earlier on Friday, law enforcement received a call from a woman expressing concerns about her husband's smoking inside the house, which she said was affecting her health. When officers arrived responding to reports of gunfire, they found four adults dead inside the residence and a fifth adult who later died at a hospital. The shooter was also deceased at the scene.

Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims in the Douglas case. Investigations into both incidents are ongoing.