A father has killed seven of his children and an unrelated child in a mass shooting in Shreveport, in the US state of Louisiana, in what the police have described as a “domestic disturbance”.
The children affected were aged from one year old to 14 years old.
According to reports, the shooting began in the early hours of Sunday, as the suspect shot 10 people before fleeing in a stolen car, but police chased after and killed him.
Report says, two adult women, including the mother of the children, were in critical condition.
The suspect shot a woman on the street before going to a nearby residence where he killed the eight children, “one of whom was not a kin to him”, Police said.
One of the victims ran to a nearby home and called authorities.
They said the gunman acted alone.
A ninth child jumped from the roof and was in the hospital.
Meanwhile, the suspect has been identified as Shamar Elkins.
Speaking earlier on Sunday, Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said: “This is a tragic situation – maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport. This affects the entire community, so we all mourn with these families.”
The incident is the deadliest mass shooting in the US since January 2024, when eight victims were killed in Joliet, Illinois, according to the Gun Violence Archive, GVA, a nonprofit that tracks US gun violence.
GVA defines a mass shooting as an incident where four or more victims were shot, not including the suspect.
Speaking at a news conference earlier on Sunday, Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon said officers attended a home shortly before 06:00 local time and found the children.
“All of the deceased in this case are juveniles,” Bordelon said.
He said officers determined the call was “domestic in nature”.
BBC/Taiwo Akinola
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