Kyrie Stone was a baby boy just days away from being born. His 24-year-old mother, Angelina Stone, was joyfully anticipating his arrival, which was scheduled for October 14, 2026. She had already chosen his name and shared ultrasound photos on social media in late September. Angelina was a loving mother to her two other children, 5-year-old son Isiah Hodges Stone and 22-month-old daughter Amari’anna Stone.
Friends remembered her as a devoted mom, and she was planning a future for her growing family, one she hoped would be free from the oppressive environment of her family’s home.
Tragically, Kyrie’s life, along with those of his mother and siblings, was cut short in a horrific act of violence on Friday, October 9, 2026. The tragedy unfolded inside the family’s home on the 700 block of Perry Street in Erie, Pennsylvania. At 4:39 p.m., a distressed Angelina made a video call to her aunt, Lora Roberts, asking for help. Roberts and a family friend, Twila Tanner, 51, rushed to the house. Around 4:49 p.m., as they arrived and pounded on the door, they were shot and killed in front of the residence by Angelina’s father, 45-year-old Matthew Stone Sr.
Erie police were dispatched at 4:52 p.m. after a gunshot detection system registered gunfire. When they arrived, they found the two women mortally wounded outside the house. Chief Rick Lorah described the scene as being met with an "eerie silence," with no sounds of gunshots or cries for help coming from inside. After establishing a perimeter, a SWAT team eventually breached the barricaded front door and sent in a robot and a drone.
The scene inside was one of unimaginable horror, which Chief Lorah called the "most difficult and heartbreaking" his officers had ever encountered. On the first floor, they found the bodies of Isiah and Amari’anna. Angelina was found on the stairwell, along with her mother, Michelle Marie Lemons Stone, 44, and her two brothers, Matthew Stone Jr., 21, and Jonathan Stone, 19. On the second floor, police located the gunman, Matthew Stone Sr., who had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound from the .40-caliber handgun used in the massacre. In total, nine people died, including Kyrie, who was lost with his mother.
The subsequent investigation by the Erie Police Department revealed a dark history of domestic control and abuse within the home. Family members told detectives that Matthew Stone Sr. had been exercising authoritarian control over his family for decades, starting when his wife, Michelle, became pregnant with their first child. He controlled the family’s finances, restricted their ability to leave the house, and limited their contact with other relatives. Angelina had reportedly told others her father had been physically abusive toward her brothers. The conditions inside the home were described as "extremely filthy," with non-working plumbing and bottles of urine found throughout the house. In 2019, Matthew Stone Sr. had been charged in a domestic violence incident involving the same handgun, but the charges were dropped after his wife changed her statement.
In the year leading up to the shooting, Angelina had expressed concerns about her father's deteriorating mental health and had even filed a petition to change her last name, wanting to pursue a career in medicine without being associated with him. She had been making plans to leave the home after Kyrie was born, and police found packed bags in her bedroom. While family members also suspected substance abuse, investigators could not definitively determine a specific motive for the massacre.
The Erie community was left shattered by the loss of three generations of a family. A candlelight vigil was held the night after the shooting, where friends and neighbors gathered to mourn, leaving flowers and stuffed animals at a makeshift memorial. Julius Windham, Amari’anna’s father, spoke through his grief, saying, "I'm so broken, man... I come back and lose my daughter, lose my baby mom, lose who I was fighting to stay alive for." A balloon release was also held in honor of baby Kyrie. GoFundMe campaigns were started to help with funeral costs for the victims. As of October 2026, the investigation was concluded, with the case considered solved as the primary suspect was deceased.
