A gunman in Louisiana has killed eight children, including seven of his own, and shot two other people in one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings in more than two years.
Seven bodies were found inside the house where the shooting occurred, while the eighth youth died attempting a rooftop escape, police said.
The suspected gunman was shot dead by police during a car chase.
Preliminary information released by police said the suspect first shot a woman and then went to a nearby home where he killed the children.
Children tried to escape
The children’s ages ranged from about one to 14.
State Representative Tammy Phelps said some children tried to get away through the back door. “I can’t even imagine what the police officers, first responders actually dealt with when they got here today,” she said at a news conference.
Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Christopher Bordelon said one crime scene was “incredibly gruesome”.
Two women were being treated at a hospital for serious injuries, police said in a statement.
“This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said.
US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Shreveport native, on social media called the shooting a “heartbreaking tragedy.”
“We’re holding the victims, their families and loved ones, and our Shreveport community close in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” Johnson said in a statement.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said on social media that he and his wife were “praying for everyone affected.”
Calls for more resources to tackle domestic violence
The attack is the deadliest mass shooting in the US since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.
“I just don’t know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
People light candles during a prayer vigil for the victims, who have not yet publicly been identified (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It’s a terrible morning.”
Louisiana State Police say their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to help investigate. In a statement, state police said no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit of the suspect.
State police are asking anyone with pictures, video or information to share it with state police detectives.
At a news conference, Louisiana state Senator Sam Jenkins, whose district includes much of Shreveport, said the shooting underscores the need for more resources to combat domestic violence.
“If we have someone with a history of domestic violence, let’s make sure that those resources, that intervention is there on a continuous and consistent basis, hopefully to avoid what we’ve seen here today,” Jenkins said. Reuters was unable to immediately determine whether Elkins had such a history. Police were working to determine the motive, Bordelon told TV station KSLA.
Not including Sunday’s incident in Shreveport, the Gun Violence Archive lists at least 119 mass shootings in the United States this year, resulting in 117 deaths, including 79 children, and 458 people injured.
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