Seven of the eight minors killed “were the children” of the alleged perpetrator, shot by the police. This is the worst massacre in the United States in over two years.
The worst massacre in the United States since January 2024. An investigation has been opened in Shreveport, Louisiana, after a shooting in which several children were killed on Sunday morning, April 18. American authorities are calling it a “senseless tragedy.”
Eight children dead, two women injured
A man is suspected of shooting at least ten people and killing eight, all children, in the third largest city in Louisiana.
Seven of the eight minors killed “were the children” of the alleged perpetrator, said Shreveport police spokesman Christopher Bordelon at a press conference. One child was also injured after jumping from a roof, the latter added.
“Three boys and five girls aged 3 to 11 were shot,” said the coroner’s office. Seven of them were siblings and the last one a cousin.
Two other people, seriously injured by gunshot, are women, at least one of whom was the mother of several of the children killed, the police said. The mayor of the city, Tom Arceneaux, also told CNN that the two women were relatives of the suspect, without further details.
“Three distinct scenes”
It’s around 6 a.m. on Sunday when Shreveport police officers go to 300 West 79th, thinking they are responding to domestic violence. In reality, they are faced with a mass shooting in two separate residences.
Police told AFP that one of the women, shot in the lower part of her face, had alerted a neighbor, who called 911, the emergency number.
“There are three distinct scenes. The shooting took place at 300 West 79th,” explained Shreveport police spokesman Christopher Bordelon.
Freddie Montgomery, a 72-year-old resident of the neighborhood, recounted seeing the police removing the children’s bodies on Sunday. “Yesterday afternoon, at this hour, all these children were playing in the yard in front of the house. And he was sitting on the porch,” he told AFP.
The suspect shot down
The police “actively conduct the investigation to try to determine the motives” of these crimes, added Chris Bordelon.
For his part, the alleged shooter identified as Shamar Elkins, 31, fled in a stolen vehicle. The man was pursued by law enforcement and shot down.
“At the end of this chase, the suspect got out of the vehicle with a weapon, and our agents were forced to neutralize him,” explained Chris Bordelon to the press.
No officers were injured, the Louisiana State Police clarified, participating in the investigation. An AFP video journalist present at the scene saw five bullet impacts on the door of one of the two houses.
According to the police, Shamar Elkins had already been arrested in 2019 for weapons possession. He pleaded guilty at the time. However, authorities clarified that they were not aware of any history of domestic or family violence involving him.
The shooter had mentioned his “dark thoughts”
“It’s a terrible event. It is particularly striking and challenging that all the victims are children,” Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux told the press.
Emotion also came from the state governor, Jeff Landry, who said he was “heartbroken” by this “dreadful situation.”
Mike Johnson, president of the U.S. House of Representatives and a representative for the region, denounced an “senseless tragedy.”
According to the New York Times, several acquaintances of the suspect described him as a person who had recently experienced psychological difficulties and was stressed by his relationship with his wife. He also mentioned “dark thoughts” over the Easter weekend to his parents as his wife informed him of her intention to divorce.
The worst massacre in over two years
According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, which is authoritative, this is the worst death toll from a gun massacre in the United States since eight people were killed in a suburb of Chicago in January 2024.
Before that, the Uvalde tragedy in Texas in 2022 had shaken the country, when an 18-year-old man killed two teachers and 19 children in a primary school.
With more guns in circulation than inhabitants, the United States has the highest firearm mortality rate of all developed countries.
Shootings are a recurring scourge that successive governments have so far failed to contain, with many Americans remaining very attached to their guns. In 2025, nearly 15,000 people, not including suicides, were killed by firearms, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
