Tragedy unfolded early on Sunday morning in a quaint neighborhood in Louisiana when a man opened fire and killed eight young children.
At least 10 people were shot, and eight juvenile victims died after the Shreveport Police Department was called just after 6am to reports of a domestic disturbance.
The youngest victim was 18-months-old, and the eldest was 14-years-old, police said.
Two adult women survived the bloody incident, and a young boy was injured after he jumped off a roof, KTBS reported.
The suspect, an adult male, was shot and killed at the scene in Bossier Parish, Shreveport.
The crime scene was described as ‘rather extensive’ by police spokesperson Christopher Bordelon, who said it spanned between two homes in the area, and a third nearby.
The shooter, who has not yet been named, was fatally shot by police at the third property, near West 79th and Lynnwood, after he performed a carjacking and led officers on a chase, Bordelon said.
‘We do believe him to be the only individual that fired gunshots at these locations here,’ he added.
Bordelon said the name of the suspect will be released, but the victims’ next of kin have to be notified first.
He said some of the children in the home ‘were his descendants,’ but did not provide further details.
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux solemnly addressed the shaken community after the shooting.
‘We have a hurting community, we have hurting families, we have hurting police officers, coroners personell, fire departments, sheriff’s people,’ Arceneaux said.
‘This affects the entire community. So we all mourn with these families.
‘It’s a Sunday morning. I ask all of you who are listening, who might be able to pray at your services this morning, not just for this family, for all the victims.’
The mayor added that the incident is ‘maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport.’
The investigation remains ongoing.
This is a breaking news story.
