A gunman in Louisiana killed eight children in domestic-related shootings at two different homes early Sunday in the nation’s deadliest mass shooting in more than two years, police in Shreveport disclosed, leaving a community devastated by violence that authorities characterized as unprecedented in scope and horror.
The Associated Press documented that the victims ranged in age from one to about 14 years old, Shreveport police spokesperson Chris Bordelon confirmed. A total of 10 people were shot in the rampage that spanned multiple locations across the northwestern Louisiana city.
The gunman later died after a chase with officers who fired at the suspect, Bordelon indicated. The suspect stole a car while leaving the scene of the shootings and was followed by police, according to Bordelon. Police did not release the name of the suspect but confirmed he was an adult male.
Officials stated they were still gathering details at the crime scenes south of downtown Shreveport—the two homes and a third location where violence occurred. Some of the children shot were related to the suspect, Bordelon revealed, suggesting the massacre represented an extreme case of domestic violence claiming the lives of the gunman’s own family members.
“This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” Bordelon emphasized, conveying the overwhelming nature of the carnage confronting first responders who arrived at multiple sites where children lay dead or dying.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States 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. The grim statistic places Shreveport’s tragedy among the worst episodes of gun violence in recent American history.
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 whose complexity challenged investigative resources.
“I just don’t know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith stated, his voice conveying the emotional toll of confronting such mass casualties. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” declared Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It’s a terrible morning.”
Louisiana State Police disclosed their detectives have been requested by Shreveport police to investigate the multiple scenes and officer-involved shooting. In a statement, state police confirmed no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved law enforcement after a police pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.
State police are asking anyone with pictures, video, or information to share it with state police detectives as they work to reconstruct the sequence of events that led to eight children’s deaths.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry acknowledged in a statement that he and his wife were heartbroken. “We’re deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders working tirelessly on the scene,” he added, praising those confronting the traumatic aftermath.
NBC confirmed that eight children ranging in age from 1 to 14 years old were killed in the mass shooting in Shreveport on Sunday morning. 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 that proved catastrophically deadly.
Police spokesperson Christopher Bordelon characterized 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 explained 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 indicated, not sharing any information on the two who survived—leaving questions about their conditions and whether they are children or adults who witnessed the massacre.
Pictures from the scene showed a large police response with emergency vehicles crowding residential streets not accustomed to such violence. “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 recounted.
Officers shot and killed the suspect during the chase in Bossier Parish, Bordelon confirmed. “We do believe him to be the only individual that fired gunshots at these locations here,” Bordelon stated, ruling out additional shooters.
Police did not share any information about the suspect beyond confirming he was an adult male, but Bordelon revealed “some of the children” in the homes “were his descendants”—language suggesting the gunman killed his own offspring or relatives in a horrific act of familial violence.
A motive for the shooting is not clear at this time, though the domestic nature and targeting of children related to the gunman suggests family conflict escalated to unthinkable violence.
Mack London, 71, who lives on the same block, disclosed 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 recounted, the street was flooded with police and an ambulance, with the block shut down and onlookers gathering.
London, who has lived there since 1991, emphasized violence like this is unheard of in the neighborhood. “Nothing like this has ever happened on this street,” he declared. “It was bad… I hate that it happened to those kids.”
Mayor Arceneaux, who also spoke at the briefing, acknowledged the community is in mourning. “This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport,” he stated. “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. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who has represented Shreveport for almost 10 years, characterized the incident as 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 wrote in a post on X, employing the thoughts-and-prayers language that has become standard political response to mass shootings.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing as authorities work to establish a timeline of events, determine precise relationships between the gunman and victims, and understand what precipitated such catastrophic violence.
For Shreveport residents, the massacre has shattered any sense of immunity from the mass shooting epidemic that has plagued America for decades. The targeting of children as young as one year old represents a particularly horrific dimension that will traumatize a community for years.
The two survivors—whose ages, conditions, and relationships to victims remain undisclosed—may provide crucial testimony about what transpired in the homes where eight children died. Whether they are children who witnessed family members being murdered or adults who tried unsuccessfully to protect the victims will profoundly shape their trauma and recovery.
As families begin the agonizing process of burying children who will never grow up, fundamental questions loom about how such violence could occur, whether warning signs were missed, and what could have prevented a domestic situation from escalating to mass murder of the most vulnerable victims imaginable.
For now, Shreveport mourns eight children whose names have not been released and whose lives were cut devastatingly short in violence that has left even experienced law enforcement officials struggling to comprehend the enormity of what occurred in their city on a Sunday morning that began as routine and ended in unimaginable tragedy.
NBC/AP
