Calls to do more to prevent gun violence and expressions of support for the Erie community and the families of the victims of Friday's mass shooting poured in from anti-violence coalitions from around the U.S. Saturday.
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, through her national gun violence prevention group GIFFORDS, said she is devastated by news of the mass shooting, which occurred Friday just before 4:50 p.m. on the east side of Erie.
“I am devastated to hear that eight people, including two children, were killed in a horrific act of gun violence last night. My heart is with the loved ones and everyone in Erie impacted by this unacceptable tragedy,” Giffords said. “We can’t accept these tragedies as normal. But until leaders everywhere decide to stand up and act, our communities will continue to suffer. Leaders at the local, state, and federal levels have an urgent responsibility to pass commonsense gun laws and save lives.”
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Eight people were killed and the ninth, the 45-year-old male gunman, died by way of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said at a news conference Saturday that the shooter was related to seven of the victims, which included a pregnant mother, a 5-year-old boy and 22-month-old girl. The ninth victim was described as a family friend. A .40-caliber handgun was recovered from the shooter, Lorah said.
Nine people were killed in a masss hooting Oct. 9 in Erie, Pa.
'Two young children should be growing up today'
Giffords' foundation noted that Pennsylvania has made "improvements" to its gun safety laws in recent years but still needs to pass other measures, including extreme-risk protection orders and gun-owner licensing requirements, among others.
On social media, a statement from Giffords' foundation said, "Two young children should be growing up today. Instead, their lives were stolen alongside six others in a horrific mass shooting in Erie, Pa. As we await more information about this tragedy, we know this never should have happened. Eight lives are gone, and their families are facing unimaginable grief.
"Too often in America, a person filled with hate or anger can get their hands on a gun and inflict unimaginable harm in a matter of moments," the statement continued. "We cannot accept this endless cycle of violence as inevitable. Our hearts are with the victims, their loved ones, and the entire Erie community."
Giffords suffered severe brain damage during an assassination on Tucson's northwest side during a constituent event in January 2011. The shooting left six people dead and a dozen other people injured. Among those killed were federal district court chief judge John Roll, a member of Giffords' staff Gabe Zimmerman, and nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green.
Mother of Sandy Hook victim: 'We must turn grief, anger into action'
Nicole Hockley, the mother of Dylan Hockley, who was 6 years old when he was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, also reacted to the shooting. Nicole Hockley is the co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise.
"Eight people were killed in Erie, including two young children and a woman expecting a baby," she wrote. "Each was loved. Their deaths leave families and a community facing unimaginable grief.
“When my 6-year-old son, Dylan, was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, I learned how suddenly a family’s life can be shattered, and how deeply that loss reaches into every day that follows," Hockley continued. "My heart is with the victims’ loved ones and everyone in Erie who is grieving.
Hockley also said she is "furious."
“We cannot allow the repeated loss of children, parents, and entire families to be something our country simply accepts," she said. "No family should ever have to endure this devastation."
She also said people need to keep working to prevent gun violence by learning to recognize warning signs, take concerns seriously, and ensure help is available "before a crisis becomes deadly."
“That responsibility belongs to all of us, from our communities to our elected leaders," she said. "The families in Erie deserve our compassion and support in the days ahead. They also deserve our sustained commitment to protecting other families from this pain. We must turn our grief and anger into action that saves lives."
Foundation formed after 2022 Uvalde, Texas school shooting offers help
The former Uvalde Foundation for Kids, now known as the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, announced Saturday that it will launch a crisis-response initiative in Erie. It is encouraging affected "families, survivors, witnesses and others in the Erie community who are struggling with the aftermath of the shooting" to contact it to learn more about available resources. It is also raising money to address the needs of victims' families, such as funeral expenses and emergency aid.
Youth Peace & Justice Foundation was formed after the May 24, 2022, Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 students and two teachers were fatally shot and 18 others were injured. The group responded to a mass shooting in Grand Haven Charter Township, Michigan, on July 24, and following the shooting of a 13-year-old boy who died trying to shield his two-year-old sister from gunshots on Sept. 28 in Shreveport, Louisiana.
“When families are facing a tragedy like this, they may not know where to turn or how to get help,” said Daniel “Bodhi” Chapin, the foundation’s founder and president. “We want those affected in Erie to know they can reach out to us. We will listen, help identify their needs and do what we can to assist.”
The foundation said it has not been in touch with any of the families affected by the mass shooting in Erie yet, but it is encouraging them or their representatives to reach out to discuss their circumstances and how the foundation might be able to assist.
Late Saturday, Chapin also issued an open letter to the Erie community, titled, "A letter to the people of Erie", in which he vows that the organization will "listen, learn what families need, and help connect people with resources and assistance where possible."
'Back to back' tragedies
Pennsylvania's only state-based gun violence organization, CeaseFirePA, noted that the mass shooting in Erie on Oct. 9 and a shooting in Philadelphia the morning of Oct. 10, in which responding officers were ambushed, occurred within 24 hours of each other. In the latter, 40-year-old Shane Seiber, a 10-year member of the Philadelphia police force, was killed, while a second officer was seriously injured.
“These back to back shootings are a devastating reminder that gun violence is a uniquely American epidemic," said Adam Garber, the chief executive officer of the CeaseFirePA Education Fund. "Our hearts are with loved ones, family members and the communities that are trying to piece together lives and mourn in the days after these catastrophes."
Like Giffords, Garber also cited what he called a lack of "many critical gun safety laws," including extreme-risk protection orders, bans on ghost guns and glock switches, and gun dealer accountability. He urged elected officials to act.
“While we wait to learn more, we know one simple truth: those children and family members are dead because of a gun," he said. "I used the word catastrophe intentionally — because these shootings are not random or necessary, they are policy choices that, for too long, some elected officials have forced us to live with."
