Erie shootings leave man and woman dead in murder-suicide, teen hurt in music video mishap
Separate shootings in Erie on Monday night left a married couple dead in a murder-suicide and wounded a 14-year-old boy in what police are calling a music video mishap.
The shootings, which happened less than four hours apart, remained under investigation by Erie police on Tuesday.
The murder-suicide was reported shortly before 11:30 p.m. Monday, when Erie police received a 911 call and were sent to a residence in the 900 block of East 28th Street. Officers found a 37-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man dead in a bedroom, with gunshot wounds to the head, Erie police Deputy Chief Rick Lorah said Tuesday morning.
The two were married, Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said.
The couple, whose names were not released Tuesday, were pronounced dead at the scene at 12:20 a.m. Tuesday, Cook said. He ruled the deaths a murder-suicide due to gunshot wounds to the head.
According to Lorah, the woman had a protection-from-abuse order against the man. The man entered the East 28th Street residence on Monday night, confronted other people who were in the residence and threatened them. He then opened fire on the female victim as the others inside the residence fled the house and called 911, Lorah said.
It appears the man shot the woman before turning the gun on himself, Lorah said.
Erie police continued to hold the residence as a crime scene Tuesday morning as detectives continued their investigation.
The homicide is the second in Erie this month and the third in the city since Dec. 30.
Steve Smith, 38, of Erie, died on Dec. 30 after he was shot during an altercation at the Metroplex on Buffalo Road during a private party. The homicide remains under investigation, with no one charged as of Tuesday.
More:Erie police continue to search club, seek video in fatal shooting of 38-year-old man
Noah King, 21, was fatally shot on Jan. 15 during a confrontation in a parking lot at Rodger Young Park at Buffalo Road and Downing Avenue. Michael N. Ochrang, 24, was charged with aggravated assault and other offenses in the shooting.
More:Victim ID'd as Erie police and DA review fatal shooting in park's parking lot
Teen shot when gun discharges while making video
On Monday, a 14-year-old boy was taken to UPMC Hamot for treatment of a gunshot wound to the right upper thigh following a shooting that was reported at about 7:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of West 20th Street.
A small group of teenagers were at the residence and were filming a music video when a gun they were using in the video discharged, firing a bullet that struck the 14-year-old boy, Lorah said. He said the gun was legally owned by a family member of one of the teens.
The wounded boy was treated and released from the hospital, Lorah said.
Another 14-year-old boy who is accused of having the gun when it fired is being charged through a juvenile allegation with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a minor, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and possessing an instrument of crime, Lorah said.
Probes continue into weekend shootings
Erie police are investigating Monday's shootings as detectives continue to gather evidence in a pair of weekend shootings. Guns were seized and a wanted man was apprehended in one of the incidents, and a vehicle was damaged in the other shooting, according to investigators.
No one was reported injured in either shooting.
The first shooting was reported on Saturday at 4:39 a.m. in the 1000 block of East Eighth Street. Officers found a large number of shell casings in the 1000 block of East Eighth Street and the 700 block of East Avenue, and searches were later done at residences in both blocks, Lorah said.
A 20-year-old Erie man who was wanted on charges including a felony weapons offense from an incident in the city in July was taken into custody from the East Avenue residence that police searched. Police also found a gun in the residence, Lorah said.
Lorah said multiple firearms were found when police searched a residence on East Eighth Street.
The second weekend shooting was reported on Sunday at about 3 a.m. in the 1500 block of Buffalo Road. Officers who responded found 9 mm casings near a vehicle that had been struck four times by bullets, Lorah said.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie police probe suspected murder-suicide, wounded teen in shootings
