8 children between the ages of 1 and 14 are dead after a mass shooting in Louisiana, police say

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — A gunman successful Louisiana killed 8 children and changeable 2 different radical Sunday successful an aboriginal greeting onslaught of home unit carried retired crossed 2 houses, a wide shooting that shook a Shreveport neighborhood, authorities said.

The fishy died aft a constabulary pursuit, and the victims — who ranged successful property from 1 to astir 14 years aged — included children related to the gunman, said Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon. Investigators did not accidental what whitethorn person acceptable disconnected the attack.

The wide shooting was the deadliest successful the U.S. successful much than 2 years.

“This is an extended country dissimilar thing astir of america person ever seen,” Bordelon said.

Officers fired astatine the fishy during a pursuit aft helium carjacked a conveyance astatine gunpoint portion leaving the scene, Bordelon said.

Police said the attacks began successful a vicinity southbound of downtown Shreveport erstwhile the fishy changeable a pistillate astatine 1 location and past drove to the different determination “where this heinous enactment was carried out.”

State Rep. Tammy Phelps said immoderate children tried to flight retired the backmost door. “I can't adjacent ideate what the constabulary officers, archetypal responders really dealt with erstwhile they got present today,” she said astatine a quality conference.

Authorities did not merchandise the sanction of the gunman but did accidental helium was an big male.

Liza Demming, who lives 2 houses down from wherever astir of the victims were shot, said her information camera captured video of the fishy moving distant on with the dependable of 2 shots.

“That’s’ beauteous overmuch each I saw, was him moving retired of the location and the cars leaving,” she said.

Demming aboriginal went extracurricular and saw the covered assemblage of a kid connected the home’s roof. She said she did not cognize the gunman’s name.

“He looks similar the dada that comes implicit here,” she said, adding that helium was conscionable with the children a fewer days ago.

Pastor Marty T. Johnson Sr., of adjacent St. Gabriel Community Baptist Church, who owns 1 of the homes wherever the shootings occurred, said a idiosyncratic who works for him had rented it to the family, but helium ne'er had dealings with them.

“I don’t truly cognize them, I truly don’t,” helium said. “I bash program connected having a supplication vigil for the family, and thing I tin do, with truthful galore children, to assistance them hide the children, I’m going to bash so.”

The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office released a connection connected Sunday saying it was not yet releasing immoderate of the children’s names due to the fact that recognition of the victims was pending.

Police said 2 women who were changeable and wounded were being treated for superior injuries.

It was the deadliest wide shooting successful the U.S. since 8 radical were killed successful a Chicago suburb successful January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today successful concern with Northeastern University.

At a quality league extracurricular the residence wherever 1 of the shootings occurred, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the assemblage arsenic they sorted done aggregate transgression scenes.

“I conscionable don’t cognize what to say, my bosom is conscionable taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “I cannot statesman to ideate however specified an lawsuit could occur.”

“This is simply a tragic concern — possibly the worst tragic concern we’ve ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, politician of the metropolis successful northwestern Louisiana with astir 180,000 residents. “It’s a unspeakable morning.”

Louisiana State Police accidental their detectives person been asked by Shreveport constabulary to investigate. In a statement, authorities constabulary accidental nary officers were harmed successful the shooting that progressive an serviceman aft a constabulary pursuit into Bossier City connected Sunday morning.

State constabulary are asking anyone with pictures, video oregon accusation to stock it with authorities constabulary detectives.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is from Shreveport, said successful abstracted statements that they were heartbroken and praised instrumentality enforcement for their response.

“We’re holding the victims, their families and loved ones, and our Shreveport assemblage adjacent successful our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly hard time,” Johnson said successful a statement.

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This communicative has been corrected to property the statements astir the shooting to constabulary spokesperson Chris Bordelon, not Police Chief Wayne Smith.

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Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press reporters Jake Offenhartz successful New York, Jeff Martin successful Atlanta and Steve Karnowski successful Minneapolis contributed.

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