At least eight dead, including children, in a shooting in Louisiana, US
Victims aged 1 to 14 years old. On Sunday, April 19, a shooter opened fire in the city of Shreveport, Louisiana, in the United States, killing at least eight people, according to several American media outlets citing local police. The children killed in this attack were between 1 and 14 years old, stated Christopher Bordelon, spokesperson for the Shreveport Police Department, to the American media NBC.
“Some of them were the children of the presumed author,” added the police officer. The victims were found in two homes. The suspect, who took off in a car by force, was pursued and shot by the police. His identity has not been disclosed.
According to local TV station KTBS, two women were also injured in the head during the shooting, and a third person, described as a young boy by authorities, was also injured after jumping off a roof. Investigators have not mentioned a possible motive but indicated that it seemed to be a case of intrafamily violence. The police believe the suspect acted alone.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry expressed being “heartbroken” and stated that he and his wife pray for all those affected.
Worst death toll in a shooting in the US since 2024
According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, this is the worst death toll in a shooting in the United States since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024. Before that, the Uvalde tragedy in Texas shook the country when an 18-year-old man killed two teachers and 19 children in an elementary school.
With more guns in circulation than people, the United States has the highest gun-related mortality rate among all developed countries. Shootings are a recurring scourge that successive governments have so far failed to contain, as many Americans remain very attached to their firearms.
In 2025, nearly 15,000 people, excluding suicides, were killed by gun violence, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
