Eight children ranging from 1 to 14 years old were killed in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday morning, according to police.
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Officers with the Shreveport Police Department responded to the 300 block of West 79th Street just after 6 a.m. following reports of a domestic disturbance. Police spokesperson Christopher Bordelon described the crime scene as “extensive,” spanning two homes in the area and a third on Harrison Street nearby.
“You have three different scenes, the shooting itself occurred just down the road over here, the 300 block of West 79th,” Bordelon said at a news briefing. “There’s also another shooting related to this on Harrison Street, and then there’s an adjacent residence on West 79 where one of the victims ran to after the shooting.”
Ten victims in all were shot, police said, not sharing any information on the two who survived. Pictures from the scene showed a large police response.
“The individual responsible once leaving this scene performed a carjacking right here in close proximity to the corner of West 79th and Lynnwood, at which point in time, Shreveport police patrol officers got behind that vehicle in a chase incident,” Bordelon said.
Officers shot and killed the suspect during the chase in Bossier Parish, Bordelon said.
“We do believe him to be the only individual that fired gunshots at these locations here,” Bordelon said.
Police did not share any information about the suspect, but Bordelon said “some of the children” in the homes “were his descendants.” A motive for the shooting is not clear at this time.
Mack London, 71, who lives on the same block, said he didn’t hear the gunfire and only learned of the killings from a neighbor as he stepped outside around 7 a.m. to close his gate. By then, he said, the street was flooded with police and an ambulance, with the block shut down and onlookers gathering.
London, who has lived there since 1991, said violence like this is unheard of in the neighborhood. “Nothing like this has ever happened on this street,” he said. “It was bad. … I hate that it happened to those kids.”
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux, who also spoke at the briefing, said the community is in mourning.
“This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport,” he said. “So, right now we’re going to process the information and it’s in very good hands.”
News of the shooting has garnered national attention. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has represented Shreveport for almost 10 years, called the incident a “heartbreaking tragedy,” adding that his team is in touch with local police.
“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 post on X.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
