NBC News reported that the shooting happened early Sunday morning local time in Shreveport, Louisiana.
According to the police, the crime scene includes a total of three houses. The perpetrator hit a total of ten people. The perpetrator, Shamar Elkins, first shot the mother of his children and then killed the children, seven of whom were his own. The children’s mother and another woman are in critical condition.
Officers shot the suspect during the chase as he tried to flee the scene in a stolen vehicle, Shreveport police spokesman Christopher Bordelon said.
“It’s a large-scale crime the likes of which most of us have never seen,” Bordelon said. He added that some of the killed children were descendants of the perpetrator.
At a press conference held in front of one of the houses where the shooting took place, local officials appeared stunned and asked the public for patience and prayers, AP writes.
“I just don’t know what to say, I’m in complete shock,” said local police chief Wayne Smith. “I can’t even imagine how something like this could happen,” he said.
“It’s a tragic situation, possibly the most tragic we’ve ever experienced,” said Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux. “It’s a terrible morning,” added the mayor of Louisiana’s third-largest city, which has approximately 180,000 residents.
