A woman and a child jumped from a rooftop to escape a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, where authorities say a father fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own.
Officials said they were first alerted to the gun attack in an emergency phone call at 05:55CDT (11:55GMT) on Sunday. The caller reported they were “on top of the house” while the suspect remained inside.
Police did not identify the survivors, or disclose their connection to the attacker, but said both were in stable condition.
The suspect died following a gun battle with officers, though it remains unclear whether he took his own life or was killed by police.
Two adult women, including the children’s mother, were also hurt by gunfire, and both were recovering in hospital, police said. A ninth child was taken to hospital after jumping from the roof of the home while escaping.
Among the eight children killed in the shooting – siblings and one cousin – were three boys and five girls. They ranged in age from 3 to 11, according to the Caddo Parish coroner’s office.
Their mothers identified the children as Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and Braylon Snow, 5, officials said.
Recalling the chain of events on Monday, Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said that within minutes of the initial emergency call, the caller on the roof reported that “she and her children had fled from the roof and were now in the backyard”.
Minutes later, the gunman attacked another home, where a different emergency caller told police “that her boyfriend had shot her, taken her three children, and fled the scene”.
Shortly after the call, police received a report of a carjacking, and information that led them to believe that children taken from the second residence may be inside that vehicle.
At about 06:29, officers located the suspect and exchanged gunfire with him.
The suspect was found dead at the scene, with no children inside the car.
Police have not yet established a motive.
Chief Smith said the suspect, identified as Shamar Elkins, had a criminal history but did not provide further details.
“All evidence and indications are that this erupted as a domestic dispute,” he said, adding that the weapon used was described as “an assault-style weapon”. It is not yet known how it was obtained.
Officials said that the community must do more to prevent domestic violence.
Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn noted that a new domestic violence centre had opened in the city just 10 days earlier, and that several of the leaders attending the news conference had also been at that event.
“I don’t believe that any of us could have imagined that only days later our community would be shaken by the most heart-breaking tragedy we have ever witnessed,” he said.
Police added they were aware of reports that the suspect had been going through a divorce and was due in court on Monday. The investigation is continuing.
