A devastating domestic shooting spree in the southern US state of Louisiana has left eight children dead, with the gunman also killed after a car chase and interaction with police. The incident, which took place just after 6:00am in the city of Shreveport, is the deadliest mass shooting in the United States in over two years, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.
The gunman, an adult male, was fatally shot after a car chase and interaction with police, officials said. Mayor Tom Arceneaux told CNN that it was not clear if the assailant died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or from police fire. No officers were injured in the incident, according to state police.
Domestic Disturbance Turns Deadly
Police Corporal Chris Bordelon told a press conference that the “rather extensive crime scene” spanned three residences, which were being combed for evidence by investigators. The deceased ranged in age from one to 14, Bordelon said. “Some of the children inside were his descendants,” he added.
Arceneaux told CNN that the gunman had some kind of relationship with two women, who were also shot, but the extent of those links was not yet known. “The two women are in very, very critical condition so we’re not able to get information from them,” he said. ABC affiliate KTBS reported that the two women were shot in the head.
Victims and Gunman
In total, nine children were at the second residence visited by the gunman. One survived and was in hospital with a non-life-threatening injury, Arceneaux said. Police said more details about the victims and the gunman would be released pending notification of next of kin.
One of Louisiana’s two US senators, Republican Bill Cassidy, called the incident an episode of “horrific violence” and wished the survivors a speedy recovery. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said he was “heartbroken.” Mike Johnson, the speaker of the US House of Representatives who was born in Shreveport and is a congressman for the region, denounced the incident on X as a “senseless tragedy.”
The United States, where firearms are readily available, is a frequent scene of gun violence, with thousands of people killed every year. It has the highest rate of gun-related deaths among all developed nations, according to the World Health Organization.
- 8 children killed in the shooting spree
- Gunman killed after car chase and interaction with police
- 2 women critically injured, shot in the head
- Incident is the deadliest mass shooting in the US in over 2 years
