Eight children, ranging in age from 18 months to 14 years old, were found fatally shot early Sunday morning in a home in Shreveport, Louisiana, in what police described as a domestic violence incident spanning multiple locations. Two adults also sustained gunshot wounds and survived, according to ABC News.
Officers responded around 6 a.m. local time to a report of gunfire in the Cedar Grove neighborhood of South Shreveport. Shreveport Police Cpl. Chris Bordelon said the crime scene stretched across two adjacent homes and a third residence nearby, calling one of the scenes "incredibly gruesome in nature." Seven of the children were found inside one of the homes. An eighth victim was discovered outside the same residence and appeared to have tried to escape through the roof.
The suspect, whose name was not immediately released, was identified as the father of at least some of the children. After the killings, he allegedly carjacked a vehicle in the area. Shreveport patrol officers pursued him into neighboring Bossier Parish, where officers discharged their firearms, killing him.
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux called the incident "maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had in Shreveport." Police Chief Wayne Smith said the department was marshaling all available resources to reconstruct what happened. House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose congressional district includes Shreveport, said his team was in contact with local law enforcement and offered condolences to the families.