Louisiana mass shooting: Eight children killed in Shreveport homes

Emergency services carry bodies from the home involved in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana. Video still / AFP

A gunman has killed eight children in a mass shooting in Louisiana, the United States.

The victims, aged from 1 to 14, were killed during a “domestic disturbance” at three homes early on Sunday (local time), police said.

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

The gunman, who was not immediately identified but was an adult male, was fatally shot after a car chase and interaction with police, officials said.

Mayor Tom Arceneaux told CNN that it was not clear if the assailant died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or from police fire. No officers were injured, according to state police.

Officials said they were still gathering details about the crime scene, which extended across three locations. A total of 10 people were shot.

Wayne Smith, Shreveport’s chief of police, said some of the children had been related to the suspect. He told reporters: “This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen”.

Two women survived the shooting, with one left in a critical condition after being shot in the head, according to local news station KSLA News 12. One of the women was reportedly in a relationship with the gunman.

In total, nine children were at the second residence visited by the gunman. One survived and was in hospital with a non-life-threatening injury, Arceneaux said.

Police Corporal Chris Bordelon said some of the children were the shooter’s descendants.

“We do believe him to be the only individual that fired gunshots at these locations.”

Arceneaux told CNN that the gunman had some kind of relationship with two women who were also shot, but the extent of those links was not yet known.

“The two women are in very, very critical condition so we’re not able to get information from them,” he said.

‘We all mourn with these families’

Smith added: “I just don’t know what to say, my heart is just taken aback. I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”

Arceneaux, mayor of the city of about 180,000 people in northwestern Louisiana, said: “This is a tragic situation – maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had.

“We have hurting families, we have hurting police officers, coroners’ personnel. This affects the entire community, so we all mourn with these families.”

At a news conference, officials appeared shocked as they requested patience and prayers from the community. Police said no officers were harmed in the shooting.

- Additional reporting AFP

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