Louisiana shooting leaves 8 children aged 1-14 dead, police describe scene as ‘unlike anything most of us have ever seen’

(SeaPRwire) –   Authorities reported that a gunman in Louisiana fatally shot eight children and injured two others in an early morning domestic violence attack spanning two homes on Sunday, a mass shooting that rattled a Shreveport neighborhood.

Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon stated that the suspect died following a police chase, and the victims—aged between 1 and roughly 14—included the gunman’s relatives. Investigators have not disclosed a possible motive for the attack.

This mass shooting marks the deadliest in the United States in over two years.

“This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” Bordelon said.

Bordelon added that officers shot at the suspect during a pursuit after he carjacked a vehicle at gunpoint while fleeing the scene.

According to police, the attacks started in a neighborhood south of downtown Shreveport, where the suspect shot a woman at one residence before driving to another location “where this heinous act was carried out.”

State Representative Tammy Phelps noted that some children attempted to escape through the back door. “I can’t even imagine what the police officers, first responders actually dealt with when they got here today,” she commented during a news conference.

Authorities have not revealed the gunman’s name, though they confirmed he was an adult male.

Liza Demming, a resident two houses away from the site where most victims were shot, stated her security camera recorded footage of the suspect fleeing, along with the sound of two gunshots.

“That’s pretty much all I saw, was him running out of the house and the cars leaving,” she said.

Later, Demming went outside and spotted a child’s covered body on the home’s roof. She mentioned she did not know the gunman’s identity.

“He looks like the dad that comes over here,” she said, adding that he was just with the children a few days ago.

Pastor Marty T. Johnson Sr., from the nearby St. Gabriel Community Baptist Church and owner of one of the homes where the shootings took place, said an employee of his had rented the property to the family, though he never interacted with them.

“I don’t really know them, I really don’t,” he said. “I do plan on having a prayer vigil for the family, and anything I can do, with so many children, to help them bury the children, I’m going to do so.”

On Sunday, the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office issued a statement indicating it would not yet release the names of the children, as victim identification is still pending.

Police reported that two women who were shot and injured are receiving treatment for severe wounds.

Per a database jointly maintained by The Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University, this is the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024.

During a news conference outside one of the shooting locations, officials seemed shocked, asking the community for patience and prayers as they worked through multiple crime scenes.

“I just don’t know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “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,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It’s a terrible morning.”

Louisiana State Police announced that Shreveport police have requested their detectives to conduct an investigation. In a statement, state police noted that no officers were injured in the shooting involving an officer following a pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.

State police are urging anyone with photos, videos, or relevant information to share it with their detectives.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson—who hails from Shreveport—expressed their heartbreak in separate statements and commended law enforcement for their response.

“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 said in a statement.