8 children were killed in a shooting at a home in Louisiana, USA

Authorities said that a gunman killed seven of his children and an eighth child in an incident of domestic violence on Sunday in the city of Shreveport, Louisiana, and explained that police later shot the gunman dead during a car chase. Shreveport police spokesman Christopher Bordelon told local TV channel KTPS that the bodies of seven children were found inside the house, while the eighth was shot while trying to escape from the roof of the house. He added that the crime scene was “absolutely horrific.”

Shreveport Police said in a Facebook post that initial information indicated that the incident began when the suspect shot a woman and then went to a nearby house, where he killed his children. Police reported that the children were between one and 14 years old.

The publication added that two women were receiving treatment in hospital for serious injuries. Bordelon told the channel that the gunman and the woman who was shot first are the parents of seven of the dead children. He added that a woman was seriously injured, threatening her life, and several families were affected by the attack. He told reporters that the shooting began after 6 a.m. (1100 GMT) on Sunday. Lee Ann Evensky, communications director for the Shreveport Mayor’s Office, said police identified the suspect as Shamar Elkins.

Bordelon stated that the suspect stole a car after the shooting, and was killed after police opened fire on the car during the chase that extended to the neighboring Bawsher Parish area. Louisiana State Police spokeswoman Kate Stegall said police are investigating the shooting of the suspect, which involved police officers.

“This is a tragic situation, perhaps the worst we have ever seen,” Shreveport Mayor Tom Arsenault said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Shreveport resident, wrote on social media that his team is in contact with local police about this “heartbreaking tragedy.”

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry also said on social media that he and his wife are “deeply saddened by this horrific situation, and are praying for all those affected.”

In addition to this incident, the record of armed violence indicates that there have been at least 119 mass shooting incidents in the United States this year, resulting in 117 deaths, including 79 children, and 458 injuries.

Log data shows that the United States witnessed 407 mass shootings last year.