Eight killed in shooting at Pennsylvania home: US media

• Eight people, including two children, were killed at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, local media reported. Police said the shooter was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
• Officers were called after shots were reported on 9 October and found two women dead in the street. The gunman then barricaded himself inside as police surrounded the home and heard more gunshots.
• Erie News Now said police were being offered counselling after the horrifying incident. The case adds to the wider problem of frequent mass shootings in the US and the struggle over gun control.

NEW YORK - A man shot and killed eight people, including two children, at a home in the US state of Pennsylvania before apparently taking his own life, local media reported.

Police in the city of Erie were called on Oct 9 around 5pm to reports of shots fired and discovered two women dead in the street, the Erie News Now outlet said.

The shooter barricaded himself inside the home as police surrounded the building and ordered him to exit.

More gunshots were heard during the standoff, Erie News Now reported.

When police eventually entered the building they found several more victims around the home, including the two children.

The deceased shooter had an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, the outlet said, citing police.

Erie News Now said that police officers who responded to the scene were being offered counselling over the horrifying incident.

Contacted by AFP, the Erie Police Department declined to comment or confirm the details. The mayor was expected to hold a press conference on the afternoon of Oct 10.

Mass shootings occur frequently in the United States, where guns vastly outnumber the population and efforts to increase firearm restrictions face steep political and legal hurdles. AFP