United States: eight children aged 1 to 14 killed in a shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, according to police

At least ten people, including eight children, were shot in the night from Saturday to Sunday in Shreveport, a major city in northern Louisiana. The presumed perpetrator has been identified by the police.

Mass shootings are on the rise in the United States. But the unprecedented violence of the Shreveport tragedy in Louisiana crosses the American borders this Sunday. This is the deadliest shooting in the country in over two years. The extremely young age of the victims is striking, ranging from 1 to 14 years.

According to the police, it all started with a call on Sunday to respond to domestic violence. They discovered the horror that unfolded during the night in two separate houses, in the middle of this typical American neighborhood, with its single-story bungalow-like houses and neatly trimmed lawns.

Eight children were found dead from gunshot wounds. Seven of them were the children of the presumed perpetrator of this shooting. “The crime scene is particularly gruesome,” later admitted Corporal Chris Bordelon during a press conference.

Two other individuals, seriously injured by gunfire, were women, at least one of whom was the mother of several of the deceased children, the police said. A child was also injured after jumping off a roof, Chris Bordelon added.

“I am speechless, totally stunned,” lamented Wayne Smith, chief of police of this major city in northern Louisiana. “I cannot imagine how such an event could have occurred.”

The identity of the presumed shooter has been revealed by authorities. The police identified the gunman as Shamar Elkins, 31 years old.

After the police arrived, the man seized a car at gunpoint to flee. The authorities then “chased the vehicle and used their firearms,” detailed Corporal Chris Bordelon in front of the press. He was shot dead by the police during this pursuit, according to authorities, who reported no injuries among their ranks. They believe he was the sole perpetrator in this case.

“This is a tragic situation, perhaps the worst we have ever experienced,” said Tom Arceneaux, the mayor of this city in the southern United States with a population of 180,000. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry expressed being “heartbroken in the face of this horrible situation” and stated that he and his wife were praying “for all those affected.”

This incident marks the deadliest mass shooting in the United States since the death of eight people in a suburb of Chicago in January 2024. Prior to that, the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, shook the country when an 18-year-old man killed two teachers and 19 children at an elementary school.

But across the Atlantic, shootings are a recurring scourge that successive governments have so far been unable to contain, as many Americans remain deeply attached to their guns. With more firearms in circulation than residents, the United States has the highest firearm mortality rate of any developed country. Last year, in 2025, nearly 15,000 people, not including suicides, were killed by firearms in the country.