Police say eight children were killed in a shooting that occurred in Louisiana 5 hours agoGrace GoodwinEight children aged between one and 14 years old have been killed by a shooting that took place in Shreveport in Louisiana. The police are calling it a “domestic disorder”. Officers reported that the incident started around 05:00 local (10:00 GMT). A single gunman fired 10 shots before fleeing the scene in a stolen vehicle. The police chased the suspect and killed him. Shreveport mayor Tom Arceneaux said: “We have hurting people, we have hurting officers, we have hurting coroners.” “This is a tragedy that affects everyone in the community. We all mourn with these families.” Leigh Anne Evensky, the communications director for the Shreveport Mayor, told the BBC that the police did not identify the victims but said that some of the children belonged to the deceased. The suspected gunman was identified as Shamar Ekins. The mayor had said earlier that this was a tragic event – perhaps the worst tragedy to ever occur in Shreveport. He said that some of the victims were taken to the hospital and asked for prayer for their families and for the city. Bordelon stated that “all of the deceased are juveniles” in this case. He said that officers determined the call to be “domestic”, and that one of the victims had fled into a nearby home. Police said that after the shooting, the suspected gunman stole a car and fled. Bordelon claimed that officers chased him to another neighbourhood in Bossier Parish and fired at the suspected shooter, who is now dead. Police said they believed the suspect acted alone. Shreveport police chief Wayne Smith expressed his sympathy for the entire community. Smith said, “I cannot imagine how this could have happened.” He added that the investigation was conducted in coordination with Louisiana State Police with assistance from other agencies. He said that he would work diligently for as long as it takes to find out what happened. On Sunday, Shreveport Councilman Grayson Boucher stated that more than 30% crimes and 30% murders in Shreveport were “domestic related”, adding: “Now this number has increased.” “We’ve more doubled our homicides in the city Shreveport due to one act of domestic abuse,” he said.Louisiana governor Jeff Landry said that he and his family were “heartbroken” over this horrific situation and prayed for all those affected. Landry said, “We are deeply grateful to law enforcement officers and first-responders who worked tirelessly at the scene.” House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana’s Fourth District has also commented on this “heartbreaking” tragedy. “We are holding the victims and their loved ones close in our prayers and thoughts during this incredibly hard time,” he added, adding that he is grateful for the prompt response of the local police. ReutersAccording to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit that tracks US gun violence, the incident is the deadliest US mass shooting since January 2024 when eight victims died in Joliet. GVA defines mass shootings as incidents where four or more victims are shot, excluding the suspect.
