A man killed eight children — seven of them his own — early Sunday in a series of shootings in Shreveport, Louisiana, police told CBS News. Authorities identified the suspected shooter as Shamar Elkins. The children who died were between 3 and 11 years old.
Shreveport police said 10 people were struck by gunfire in total. Two adult women suffered serious injuries and a teenager was also wounded; those injuries were not considered life-threatening. Officers first responded just after 6 a.m. ET to a residence where the victims had been shot. The suspect initially shot a woman on the street, then went to a nearby home where all eight fatalities occurred. One victim escaped to an adjacent house and called police.
After the shootings, the suspect fled, carjacked a vehicle at gunpoint and was pursued by officers. The chase ended in neighboring Bossier Parish, where police said officers fired and killed the suspect. Louisiana State Police detectives will probe the circumstances of the suspect’s death because it involved an officer.
Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said investigators will review every piece of evidence from each scene. City Councilman Grayson Boucher called the attack a domestic violence incident that significantly raised the city’s homicide numbers. Mayor Tom Arceneaux described it as a devastating event for the community.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said multiple law enforcement agencies are working the case. Gov. Jeff Landry, Sen. Bill Cassidy and House Speaker Mike Johnson issued statements expressing sorrow and support for the victims and families. Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, whose organization advocates for gun violence prevention, called the killings a “devastating act of domestic gun violence.”
The White House was monitoring the situation, an official told CBS News. Jason Allen contributed to this report.