Updated April 19, 2026 at 8:40 PM EDT
A gunman killed eight children and wounded two women in a Northwest Louisiana incident that stemmed from a domestic disturbance, the Shreveport Police Department said Sunday.
The adult male suspect is dead, authorities said. Police named the suspect as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, of Shreveport. Elkins was believed to be the father of seven of the children killed, Shreveport Police Cpl. Christopher Bordelon said.
Seven children were killed inside the house, while an eighth child was shot on the roof while trying to escape. Police said the gunman used an assault-style weapon in the shooting.
One of the women shot was Elkins' wife and the mother of seven of the killed children, according to police. Another woman has life-threatening injuries, Bordelon told reporters. Police did not release the identifies of the women.
Investigators were called to a home in the city around 6 a.m. local time on Sunday. Bordelon said one of the victims had run to an adjacent house, and authorities were also alerted to another crime scene at a third home nearby.
After police arrived, they chased the suspect, who police said carjacked a car and fled the scene. The chase ended when the Shreveport Police Department fired at the suspect. The Louisiana State Police, which is investigating the shooting by officers, said in a statement that the suspect was shot.
Mayor Tom Arceneaux said the shootings have shocked the community roughly 200 miles east of Dallas. "This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had in Shreveport," he said.
Investigators were continuing to collect evidence Sunday and piece together the events of the previous hours, the likes of which local officials said they had never seen.
"I just don't know what to say, my heart is just taken aback," said Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith. "I just cannot begin to imagine how such an event can occur."
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement that he and his wife Sharon were "heartbroken over this horrific situation" and praying for those affected.
This is a developing story.
Red River Radio's Jeff Ferrell contributed reporting.
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