Man kills 8 children and shoots his wife and another woman in Shreveport, Louisiana

A man holds a candle during a prayer vigil for the victims of a mass shooting earlier in the day, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Shreveport, La. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) 2026-04-20T05:58:13Z Shreveport, La. (AP) — A man killed eight children, including seven of his own, and shot two women in an attack in a Shreveport, Louisiana , neighborhood that was the nation’s deadliest shooting in more than two years, authorities said. At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred early Sunday, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community. “This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana. Mourners laid flowers outside the single-story house on 79th Street, and people lit candles for the victims at an evening prayer vigil in a nearby parking lot. “It just makes you take your children and hug them and hold them and tell them how much you love them,” said Kimberlin Jackson, who was at the vigil. The violence started before sunrise Sunday Police said the man shot a woman at one home in the neighborhood south of downtown then drove to the second location. Seven children were killed inside the second house, and one was found dead on the roof after apparently trying to escape, police spokesperson Chris Bordelon said. Another child jumped off the roof and was expected to survive after being taken to a hospital. State Rep. Tammy Phelps said some children tried to get away through the back door. “I can’t even imagine what the police officers, first responders actually dealt with when they got here today,” she said at a news conference. “I just don’t know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. (