A 31-year-old Louisiana man fatally shot eight children, seven of his own, in a Shreveport neighborhood Sunday morning, the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. in more than two years. Two women, including the gunman’s wife, were critically wounded. The suspect, Shamar Elkins, died during a police pursuit that ended with officers firing on him.

The attack, which police described as a domestic incident unfolding across two houses, claimed the lives of children ranging in age from 3 to 11 years old. The shooting comes as the nation continues to grapple with mass gun violence, with the previous deadliest incident occurring in a Chicago suburb in January 2024.

Police in Shreveport, Louisiana, said a 31-year-old man fatally shot eight children, seven of his own, in a violent attack that unfolded across two houses in a residential neighborhood Sunday morning. Two women, including the gunman’s wife, were critically wounded in the assault.

The suspect, Shamar Elkins, died during a police pursuit when officers opened fire on him, according to Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon. Authorities said the children, all killed in a single house, ranged in age from 3 to 11 years old.

“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of Shreveport, a city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It’s a terrible morning.”

Police said the attacks began before sunrise when Elkins shot a woman at one home, then drove to a second location where the children were gathered. Seven children died inside the second house. One child was found dead on the roof after apparently trying to escape. Another child jumped from the roof and was taken to a hospital, where officials expected the child to survive.

State Rep. Tammy Phelps said some children had attempted to flee through the back door. “I can’t even imagine what the police officers, first responders actually dealt with when they got here today,” she said.

Domestic Crisis

Police characterized the incident as “entirely a domestic incident.” Authorities said Elkins had been arrested in a 2019 firearms case but were not aware of any prior domestic violence complaints involving him.

According to family members, Elkins and his wife were in the middle of separating and were due in court Monday. Crystal Brown, a cousin of one of the wounded women, said the couple had been arguing about the separation before the shooting.

“He murdered his children,” Brown said. “He shot his wife.”

Elkins shared four children with his wife and three children with another woman who lived nearby and was also shot, Brown said. All the children were together at one house when the attack began.

Brown described the victims as “happy kids, very friendly, very sweet.”

The Investigation

Neighbor Liza Demming said her security camera captured video of a man running from the house. “That’s pretty much all I saw, was him running out of the house and the cars leaving,” she said. Demming later observed the covered body of a child on the roof.

The attack marked the deadliest mass shooting in the United States in more than two years. The previous deadliest shooting occurred in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, when eight people were killed, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

Community Gathers

Hours after the shooting, mourners laid flowers outside the single-story house on 79th Street, where one door appeared stained with blood. Later that evening, community members gathered at a nearby prayer vigil in a parking lot to light candles for the victims.

“It just makes you take your children and hug them and hold them and tell them how much you love them,” said Kimberlin Jackson, who attended the vigil.

Pastor Marty T. Johnson Sr. of nearby St. Gabriel Community Baptist Church said a person who works for him had rented one of the properties to the family, but he had no previous dealings with them.

“What began as a domestic dispute has ended in irreversible harm,” the parish’s district attorney’s office said in a statement.

Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said he could not begin to fathom the tragedy. “I just don’t know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” he said. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”