A heart-wrenching incident shattered the peace of a Louisiana neighborhood on Sunday morning when a man opened fire, tragically taking the lives of eight young children.
Authorities from the Shreveport Police Department responded to a distress call around 6am, reporting a domestic disturbance that resulted in at least 10 individuals being shot, with eight of those victims being juveniles who lost their lives.
The victims of this unimaginable tragedy ranged from an 18-month-old toddler to a 14-year-old, with police indicating that some of the children were related to the shooter.
Amid the chaos, two adult women survived despite suffering head injuries, while a young boy managed to flee the violence by jumping from the roof, according to a report by KTBS.
The shooter, an adult male, was fatally shot at the scene in Bossier Parish, Shreveport.
Describing the crime scene, police spokesperson Christopher Bordelon noted its significant expanse, covering two homes and extending to a third in the vicinity.
The shooter, who has not yet been named, was fatally shot by police at the third property, near West 79th and Lynnwood, after he performed a carjacking and led officers on a chase, Bordelon said.
‘We do believe him to be the only individual that fired gunshots at these locations here,’ he added.
An unidentified male shooter opened fire early Sunday morning in Shreveport, Louisiana, killing eight young children
The youngest victim was 18-months-old, and the eldest was 14-years-old, police said. Two adult women survived and a young boy was injured after jumping off a roof
Bordelon said the name of the suspect will be released, but the victims’ next of kin have to be notified first.
He said some of the children in the home ‘were his descendants,’ but did not provide further details.
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux solemnly addressed the shaken community after the shooting.
‘We have a hurting community, we have hurting families, we have hurting police officers, coroners personell, fire departments, sheriff’s people,’ Arceneaux said.
‘This affects the entire community. So we all mourn with these families.
‘It’s a Sunday morning. I ask all of you who are listening, who might be able to pray at your services this morning, not just for this family, for all the victims.’
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux solemnly addressed the shaken community after the shooting
The mayor added that the incident is ‘maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport.’
The investigation remains ongoing.
Shreveport, about five hours outside of New Orleans, is a high crime area known for violence, according to Neighborhood Scout.
One in 82 people become a victim of a violent crime in Shreveport, compared to one in 192 in the state of Louisiana, the report showed.
This is a breaking news story.
