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ERIE, Pennsylvania: 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that was a front for him,\u201d Julius Windham said as he stood at a memorial to victims of Friday\u2019s shooting, including his 1-year-old daughter Amarianna, her pregnant mother and the woman\u2019s 5-year-old son and unborn baby.<\/p>\n
\u201cHim every day, him smiling and being just \u2014 you would think of nothing like that would happen,\u201d Windham said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Those killed include 2 women outside the home<\/strong><\/p>\n 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 slain woman and children and the words, \u201cForever In My Heart.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWords can\u2019t even explain what I\u2019m going through right now,\u201d Windham said. \u201cBut I gotta be strong for my community, you know what I\u2019m saying? My family, my daughters, my sons, everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n Video and audio evidence recovered by investigators included muffled gunshot sounds coming from inside the home just before two \u201cdistressed\u201d 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cOut of respect for the victims and the families, I will not discuss the details of what our officers encountered inside that home,\u201d the chief said at a news conference.<\/p>\n \u201cBut 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Police decline to discuss motive as investigation continues<\/strong><\/p>\n Erie is about 120 miles (190 kilometers) north of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThey knew something was going on at that house,\u201d Lorah said. \u201cWe have to figure out what that is.\u201d<\/p>\n Nicole and Debra Eller, whose best friend was among the victims, said they\u2019ve known the family for more than 30 years. Nicole Eller said the shooter \u201cwas a good guy, and then he started going downhill with everything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey were a lovely family. Who would have thought this would ever happen?\u201d Debra Eller said. \u201cOh 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?\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n At a news conference on Saturday, Erie Mayor Daria Devlin addressed a portion of her remarks directly to the victims\u2019 families.<\/p>\n \u201cI am so deeply sorry,\u201d 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\u2019re grieving with you. And we are here to support you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n