Washington: Eight children have been killed in a mass shooting in the US state of Louisiana that police have described as a “domestic disturbance” that unfolded across multiple crime scenes.
The horrific crime spree took place in Shreveport, a city in Louisiana’s north-west near the Texas border. The gunman then stole a car and died following a pursuit by police.
At a news conference outside a home, people audibly gasped and wailed as police spokesman Chris Bordelon revealed 10 people were shot in total, and that the eight dead were aged between 1 and 14.
“All of the deceased in this case are juveniles,” he said. “We do know that some of the children inside were his descendants.”
Bordelon said police were called to a residence on West 79th Street, Shreveport at about 6am on Sunday (US time), which was identified as a crime scene relating to a domestic dispute. It was established that the crime spree encompassed two residences on that street, and another residence nearby, he said.
Gunshots were fired at all three locations and there was no doubt the three crime scenes were connected, he added.
Bordelon said the perpetrator carjacked a vehicle and was pursued by police into a neighbouring parish. They discharged their weapons and the suspect was killed, though the exact circumstances of his death were still unclear.
Police have not yet released the identity of the suspect or the victims. Bordelon said he had never seen a crime like it in his police career.
Mayor Tom Arceneaux said it was “a tragic situation – maybe the worst tragic situation we have ever had in Shreveport”.
Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.