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Eight children and teens were killed early Sunday in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, authorities said. The suspected shooter is also dead, according to police.
Ten people were struck by gunfire in all, Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon said at a news conference. He described the incident as "domestic in nature" and said authorities believe at least some of those shot were the "descendants" of the shooter.
The ages of the deceased ranged from 1 to approximately 14 years old, police said. None of the people killed or injured were identified by name. Some of the injured have been hospitalized, said Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux.
According to police, two adult women were being treated for "serious injuries." A teenager was also injured in the shootings, but those injuries were not considered life-threatening, Shreveport police said in a statement.
The shootings took place at multiple locations in the city, police said. The suspect first shot a woman on the street before going to a nearby residence, where all eight people who were killed were shot, according to police. One of the victims then ran to an adjacent residence, police said.
Shreveport police identified the suspected shooter to CBS News as Shamar Elkins.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said on X that multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident.
Police enter a house in Shreveport, Louisiana, after a mass shooting on Sunday, April 19, 2026.
Gerald Herbert / AP
"Over 30% of our crimes and 30% of our murders in the city of Shreveport are domestic in relation. Now that number has gone up," Shreveport Councilman Grayson Boucher said at a news conference Sunday afternoon. "We've more than doubled our homicide in the city of Shreveport because of one act of domestic violence."
Officers responded to the shooting just after 6 a.m. ET at the residence where the victims were shot, Shreveport police said. The suspect fled, carjacked a vehicle at gunpoint nearby and was chased by police, according to the department. Police said the suspect was killed after officers involved in that chase opened fire.
The suspect was acting on their own, police said.
Louisiana State Police said its detectives will investigate the circumstances around the suspect's death, since it involved an officer. In a statement, the superintendent said investigators were "working to process the scene and gather further information."
Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said he couldn't "even begin to imagine how such an event could occur," referring to the shooting, and said investigators will be "going through every piece of evidence at every scene" to understand what took place.
Arceneaux said the shooting "affects the entire community."
"This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had in Shreveport," he said, adding, "We all mourn for these families."
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said on X that he and his wife Sharon "are heartbroken over this situation" and are "praying for everyone affected," while Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy said his "heart is with the Bossier Shreveport community as we mourn the innocent lives lost this morning."
"I wish the surviving victims a complete and swift recovery," Cassidy said. Bossier Parish, neighboring Shreveport, is where the car chase ended and the suspect was fatally shot, police said.
Majority House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose Louisiana district includes the site of the shooting, referred to it as a "heartbreaking tragedy" in a post on X and said he was holding "the victims, their families and loved ones, and our Shreveport community close in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time."
Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords also addressed the shooting in a statement released through her organization, Giffords, which focuses on gun violence prevention.
"This is a devastating act of domestic gun violence, taking the lives of eight young children. My heart is breaking for their families, the survivors, and everyone in Shreveport today," Giffords said. "All of us should be outraged that we live in a country that routinely subjects our kids to such unimaginable violence."
The White House is also monitoring the situation, an official told CBS News.
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