Eight children killed in Louisiana shooting, gunman dies after police chase

Victims aged one to 14 died in incident spanning three residences in Shreveport on Sunday morning.

Eight children were killed in a shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday morning, with the suspected gunman later fatally shot by police during a vehicle chase, local authorities said¹²³.

The shooting occurred around 6 am, according to Police Chief Wayne Smith¹. The victims ranged in age from one to 14 years old¹²³. A total of 10 people were shot, though the status of the two surviving victims was not immediately known¹².

The crime scene extended across three residences, according to Police Corporal Chris Bordelon³. Some of the children killed were related to the suspected gunman, police said¹². Two adult women were injured and a child was hurt while escaping, according to one report³.

The suspected gunman, described as an adult male, hijacked a car after the shooting and was killed when police fired at the vehicle during a chase into Bossier City²³. No officers were harmed in the incident, Louisiana State Police said¹.

"This is an extensive scene, unlike anything most of us have ever seen," Smith said¹. Shreveport mayor Tom Arceneaux called it "maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had"².

Louisiana State Police detectives were asked by Shreveport police to investigate the incident¹. Authorities were still gathering details about the crime scene and asked anyone with pictures, video or information to contact state police detectives¹.

The incident was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States in more than two years, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive³.