Eight children killed in Louisiana mass shooting

Eight children were killed in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday morning, according to police.

Officers with the Shreveport Police Department responded to the 300 block of West 79th Street just after 6 a.m. following reports of a domestic disturbance. Police spokesperson Christopher Bordelon described the crime scene as “extensive,” spanning two homes in the area and a third on Harrison Street nearby.

“You have three different scenes, the shooting itself occurred just down the road over here, the 300 block of West 79th,” Bordelon said. “There’s also another shooting related to this on Harrison Street, and then there’s an adjacent residence on West 79 where one of the victims ran to after the shooting.”

Ten people were shot — eight fatally — ranging in age from 1 to 14 years old, Bordelon said at a news briefing.

“The individual responsible once leaving this scene performed a carjacking right here in close proximity to the corner of West 79th and Lynnwood, at which point in time, Shreveport police patrol officers got behind that vehicle in a chase incident,” Bordelon said.

Officers shot and killed the suspect during the chase in Bossier Parish, Bordelon said.

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

Police did not share any information about the suspect, but Bordelon said “some of the children” in the homes “were his descendants.” A motive for the shooting is not clear at this time.

Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux, who also spoke at the briefing, said the community is in mourning.

“This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport,” he said. “So, right now we’re going to process the information and it’s in very good hands.”

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

-- Agencies