In Louisiana, a man killed seven of his own children and one of someone else's children.

On April 19, a Louisiana resident shot and killed eight children with a small-caliber pistol. The shooter's wife and girlfriend suffered serious gunshot wounds. After the attack, the man attempted to flee in a stolen car but was shot and killed by police, according to reports. NBC News.

According to law enforcement officials, the deceased were between 18 months and 12 years old.

"I just don't know what to say. I'm shocked," said Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith. "I can't even imagine how this could have happened."

Police have identified Shamar Elkins as the shooter and sole suspect. Seven of the eight victims were his biological children, police spokesman Christopher Bordelon said.

On the subject: A man drove a truck into a synagogue in Michigan and then opened fire on people.

Shreveport police officers arrived at a home in the 300 block of West 79th Street shortly after 6 a.m. after receiving a report of a domestic dispute. According to police, the gunman first shot a woman on nearby Harrison Street, then went to the home on West 79th Street, where he killed all the children.

After this, the shooter fled and, threatening with a weapon, stole the car.

Police reported shooting the suspect in neighboring Bossier Parish after a lengthy pursuit. Bordelon said there are no other suspects.

"Officers were forced to use their service weapons to neutralize the suspect," law enforcement said in a statement.

Louisiana State Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the suspect's death. Shreveport police said there is no indication of foul play.

One of the wounded women was Elkins' wife, who was shot in the face but still alive on April 19, and the second woman was believed to be his girlfriend, Bordelon said.

According to him, seven of the dead children were found in the house, and the eighth was discovered dead on the roof.

The police officer noted that investigators continue to determine why Elkins shot at children and women.

"We know it's connected to domestic circumstances, like the fact that his wife is the mother of at least seven children, and the eighth child was a family friend," he said.

Bordelon said the suspect used a small-caliber pistol when he shot the children, and Elkins had a "rifle-type weapon" when he confronted police.

The police officer suggested that many of the children had been shot in their sleep. Almost all of them had been shot in the head.

71-year-old Mack London, who lives on the same block, said he didn't hear any gunshots and only learned of the incident from a neighbor when he went out to close his gate around 7 a.m. By that time, he said, the street was filled with police, an ambulance had arrived, the block was cordoned off, and bystanders had gathered.

London, who has lived there since 1991, noted that there was no such violence in the area.

Shreveport Mayor Tom Arsenault admitted: "This is perhaps the worst tragedy that has ever happened in Shreveport."

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said he was "heartbroken by this terrible situation" and thanked local law enforcement and first responders.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has represented Shreveport in Congress for nearly a decade, called the incident a "heartbreaking tragedy" and said his team is in contact with local police.

Elkins served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from August 2013 to August 2020 as a communications systems specialist and fire support specialist, but was never deployed to a combat zone and was discharged as a private, the Army said.

Bordelon recalled that in 2019, Elkins was arrested and charged with unlawful use of a firearm, which disqualified him from legally owning a gun.

Shreveport City Council members gathered near the scene on the afternoon of April 19 to pray and call on the community to support the affected family.

Freddie and Mary Montgomery live across the street from the house where the children were killed, but they didn't know the family well. They said she moved there about six months ago.

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"When they carried the children out of the house, it was the most terrible thing I have ever seen," Mary Montgomery admitted.

On Saturday, April 18, Freddie Montgomery was visiting a neighbor and was returning home when he saw a man in his yard and children playing outside. He waved at the man, who, as usual, waved back.

"When we found out what actually happened there, we were shocked," he concluded. "It doesn't make any sense."

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