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Eight children were shot and killed early Sunday morning in Shreveport, Louisiana, in what the city's mayor called possibly the worst tragedy the city has ever seen. Two additional children survived the shooting. The suspect, who fled the scene in a stolen vehicle, was shot and killed by officers following a chase into neighboring Bossier Parish.
Officers with the Shreveport Police Department responded to the 300 block of West 79th Street shortly after 6 a.m. following reports of a domestic disturbance. The victims ranged in age from one to 14 years old, police said.
Police spokesperson Christopher Bordelon described the scene as "extensive," spanning three separate locations, including two homes on West 79th Street and a third on nearby Harrison Street. One of the victims fled to an adjacent residence after being shot. "You have three different scenes," Bordelon said, adding that the shooting itself occurred on the 300 block of West 79th before spreading to the connected addresses.
Bordelon said the suspect fled the area immediately after the shootings and carried out a carjacking near the corner of West 79th and Lynnwood. Shreveport patrol officers pursued the vehicle into Bossier Parish, where they shot and killed the suspect. Louisiana State Police, whose detectives were brought in by Shreveport police to lead the investigation, confirmed no officers were injured during the pursuit or the shooting that followed.
Police said some of the children killed were descendants of the suspect, though no further identifying information about him was released. A motive had not been established as of Sunday morning, and the investigation remains ongoing. Bordelon said investigators believe the suspect acted alone. "We do believe him to be the only individual that fired gunshots at these locations," he said.
Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith, visibly shaken at a news conference held outside one of the shooting locations, said the scale of the violence was unlike anything he had encountered. "I just don't know what to say," Smith said. "I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur."
Mayor Tom Arceneaux, who addressed reporters alongside police officials Sunday morning, called the shooting a defining moment of grief for the city. "This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had in Shreveport," he said. "It's a terrible morning." Arceneaux asked the community for patience and prayers as investigators worked through multiple crime scenes.
Shreveport, a city of approximately 180,000 residents in northwestern Louisiana, has experienced persistent gun violence in recent years. Sunday's mass shooting, in which all ten victims were children, marks an extraordinary toll even against that backdrop.
Louisiana State Police are asking anyone with photographs, video footage, or relevant information to contact state police detectives. The investigation is ongoing.
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