SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) 鈥� A man killed eight children, including seven of his own, and shot two women in an , neighborhood that was the nation’s deadliest shooting in more than two years, authorities said.
At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred early Sunday, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community.
鈥淭his is a tragic situation 鈥� maybe the worst tragic situation we鈥檝e ever had,鈥� said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana.
Mourners laid flowers outside the single-story house on 79th Street, and people lit candles for the victims at an evening prayer vigil in a nearby parking lot.
鈥淚t just makes you take your children and hug them and hold them and tell them how much you love them,鈥� said Kimberlin Jackson, who was at the vigil.
The violence started before sunrise Sunday
Police said the man shot a woman at one home in the neighborhood south of downtown then drove to the second location.
Seven children were killed inside the second house, and one was found dead on the roof after apparently trying to escape, police spokesperson Chris Bordelon said. Another child jumped off the roof and was expected to survive after being taken to a hospital.
State Rep. Tammy Phelps said some children tried to get away through the back door. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 even imagine what the police officers, first responders actually dealt with when they got here today,鈥� she said at a news conference.
鈥淚 just don鈥檛 know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,鈥� Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said.
The children who were killed were 3 to 11 years old. They were three boys and five girls, according to the Caddo Parish Coroner鈥檚 office.
All the children were 鈥渉appy kids, very friendly, very sweet,” said Crystal Brown, who is a cousin of one of the women who were shot.
The gunman died after a police pursuit
The gunman, identified as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, died after a police pursuit that ended with officers firing on him, according to Bordelon. Authorities did not say what may have set off the violence but Bordelon said detectives were confident the shooting was 鈥渆ntirely a domestic incident.鈥�
Elkins had been arrested in a 2019 firearms case, but Bordelon said officials were not aware of any other domestic violence issues.
Elkins and his wife were in the middle of separating and were due in court Monday, according to Brown. She said the couple had been arguing about the separation before the shooting.
鈥淗e murdered his children,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淗e shot his wife.鈥�
Elkins had four children with his wife and three children with another woman who lived close by and was also shot, according to Brown. All the children were together at one house, she said.
The shooting in Shreveport, a city of about 180,000 residents, was the deadliest in the U.S. since January 2024, when eight people were killed , according to maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
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Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Contributing were Associated Press reporters Jake Offenhartz in New York, Jeff Martin in Atlanta, Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, Terry Tang in Phoenix and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles.
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