Pennsylvania shooter who killed 8 was family’s patriarch, father of
toddler killed says
[October 12, 2026]
By TED SHAFFREY
ERIE, Pa. (AP) — 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.
Those killed include 2 women outside the home
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.
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.
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Julius Windham visits a memorial outside the home where authorities
say a gunman killed multiple people, including Windham's daughter,
in Erie, Pa., on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
Police decline to discuss motive as investigation continues
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.”
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