SHREVEPORT, Louisiana — Eight children were killed and two women were critically injured on Sunday after a man opened fire at two homes in a Shreveport neighborhood, police said.
The Shreveport Police Department identified the suspect as Shamar Elkins. Police said he died after fleeing the scene and being shot during a pursuit by responding officers.
Authorities said the victims included eight children, three boys and five girls, ranging in age from 3 to 11. Police said seven of the children were Elkins’ biological children. Officials said one additional child survived after jumping from the roof of a house during the attack.
Police said Elkins also shot his wife, who is the mother of the children, and another woman. Both women remained in critical condition at a hospital.
Investigators said the shooting began before sunrise on Sunday at a home south of downtown Shreveport, where Elkins shot one woman. Police said he then moved to a second residence a few blocks away, where he shot the children.
The Caddo Parish coroner’s office said Elkins’ nephew was among the children killed.
Shreveport police said officers responded to the scene and later pursued Elkins after he fled. Police said the pursuit ended when officers shot him.
Police said they were not aware of prior domestic violence reports involving Elkins. Court records showed he pleaded guilty in 2019 to illegal use of a weapon and received probation.
Officials said the attack occurred in a residential neighborhood in Shreveport, a city of about 180,000 residents.
Mayor Tom Arceneaux said the shooting represented one of the most serious violent incidents the city had experienced.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing.