ng on Oct. 9, 2026. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Little Amari'anna's father, Juicesiyah Alexander Ezekiel, held back tears as he grieved the toddler's death.

 It was my baby, bro, and he just took her,  Ezekiel told Erie News Now.  Her name was Amari'anna. She's the most beautiful baby God could have created.

 I wouldn't even put this on my worst enemy,  he said.  It's sickening. 

Ezekiel revealed he had been fighting depression after surviving a homicide in Erie back in 2022 before moving away from the area.

 I'm so broken, man,  he said.  I left Erie to stay away from that lifestyle, and I come back and lose my daughter, lose my baby mom, lose who I was fighting to stay alive for. 

6 Two women were found dead outside before police discovered several more victims inside the home on the East Side of Erie. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

6 Police officers stand outside a home on Perry Street where nine family members were killed on Oct. 10, 2026, in Erie, Pa. Getty Images

Police responded to the home after receiving reports of the shooting from the city's ShotsSpotter system.

Two females, aged 37 and 51, were found outside in the street suffering from gunshot wounds when officers arrived at the home.

The gunman barricaded himself inside the house and created a standoff with police as officials waited for a search warrant to enter the home, Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said during a press conference.

6 Bystanders gather near the site of a reported shooting where multiple people were killed at a home on Perry St. in Erie, Pa., Oct. 10, 2026. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Eventually police entered the home and found Isiah, Amari'anna and a 10-month-old girl on the first floor, Erie News Now reported.

Stone was found dead alongside a 44-year-old woman and two men, 19 and 21, on the second floor.

 It was horrific. It was the worst scene I have ever experienced,  Lorah said.

The gunman died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Eight of the nine victims were related with the ninth identified as a family friend.

Lorah believes  mental health is at play here,  but did not provide a motive behind the killings.