9 people, including two children, were killed in a mass shooting in the US state of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania - Ofoq News - Nine people were killed, including two children, in a mass shooting incident, which was followed by an armed man barricading himself inside a building for hours and an exchange of gunfire with the police, in the city of Erie, in the northern US state of Pennsylvania.

The local news network "Erie News Now" reported that the police received a report at approximately five o'clock on Friday evening, after eyewitnesses testified that they saw a person firing a weapon before entering a house on Perry Street.

The police found two women murdered in the street, while other victims were found inside the house. The suspect was also found dead at the scene, and it is likely that he died from an injury resulting from the shooting himself.

It is not yet clear whether the suspect was among the total death toll, while police confirmed that the danger to the public no longer exists.

Erie City Police Chief Rick Lora said it is difficult to put into words a tragedy of this magnitude, adding: "There are no words that can adequately express the magnitude of the loss here."

He added: "Out of respect for the victims and their loved ones, I will not detail what our officers saw today. Investigators are currently working intensively to uncover all the circumstances of the incident, and we will not engage in speculation about the motive or any information that might harm the investigation."

For its part, the municipality of Erie and its mayor, Daria Dublin, issued a joint statement on social media, in which they reiterated that the situation no longer poses a danger to the public, while the background and motives of the incident are still unknown.