By Jacki Thrapp
At least eight children were killed during a shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, on the morning of April 19.
The deceased victims range in age from 1 to approximately 14 years old, according to preliminary crime scene data shared by Shreveport Police.
Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Christopher Bordelon confirmed that some of the deceased victims were the suspect’s children.
Two other minors were shot but the extent of their injuries were not released.
“This is a very large scene with four specific locations that we are currently addressing,” Bordelon told reporters during a news conference.
Three of the four locations were residences.
Police are investigating the crime as a domestic disturbance and have not revealed a motive behind the shooting.
The suspect, who has not been named, fled the scene, carjacked a vehicle, and was eventually shot and killed by police during a chase, authorities said.
“Shreveport police patrol officers got behind that vehicle and they chased it,” Bordelon added.
“The vehicle was chased into Bossier Parish, and at which point in time, Shreveport police officers did discharge their firearm, and that individual is deceased.”
Police believe only one suspect was involved in the crime.
“This is a very large scene of multiple deceased children present, so we’re going to ask for patience and us getting information out, and we’ll release the name of the suspect that is deceased when we have made the proper notifications,” Bordelon said. He added that he’s never seen anything like this during his career.
The names of the suspect and victims could be released by the coroner as soon as April 20, police said.
Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said he was at a loss for words while speaking to reporters about the tragedy.
“I just don’t know what to say,” Smith said.
“My heart is just taken back. I just cannot begin to imagine how such an event can occur.”
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux offered his condolences to the victims’ families and encouraged the community to pray.
“It’s a Sunday morning, I ask all of you, if you’re Christian, if you might be able to pray at your services this morning, for not just this family, for all the victims, for the victims who are at the hospital, for the Cedar Grove community, and for the community at large,” Arceneaux said during a press conference.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
