Eight children were killed early Sunday in Shreveport, Louisiana, after gunfire broke out across multiple nearby locations in what police are calling a domestic-related incident. It happened early in the morning, just after 6 am.

Authorities say officers were first called to the 300 block of West 79th Street following reports of a disturbance. When they arrived, they found what police described as a wide and spread-out scene covering two homes on West 79th and another residence on Harrison Street.

“You have three different scenes, the shooting itself occurred just down the road over here, the 300 block of West 79th,” Bordelon said at a news briefing. “There’s also another shooting related to this on Harrison Street, and then there’s an adjacent residence on West 79 where one of the victims ran to after the shooting.”

Police confirmed 10 people were shot in total, including the eight children who died. Two others survived but officials have not released details on their condition.

Investigators said the suspect left the area after the shootings and carried out a carjacking nearby. Officers then engaged in a pursuit that ended in Bossier Parish, where the suspect was shot and killed by police.

“The individual responsible once leaving this scene performed a carjacking right here in close proximity to the corner of West 79th and Lynnwood, at which point in time, Shreveport police patrol officers got behind that vehicle in a chase incident,” Bordelon said.

Authorities believe the suspect acted alone in firing the shots. “We do believe him to be the only individual that fired gunshots at these locations here,” Bordelon said. Police also said some of the children inside the homes were related to the suspect, though no identity has been released and the motive remains unclear.

Longtime resident Mack London, who has lived in the area since 1991, said he learned about the shooting only after stepping outside later that morning and seeing police and emergency crews flooding the block.

Mayor Tom Arceneaux called it “maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport,” while House Speaker Mike Johnson described it as a “heartbreaking tragedy” and said his office is in contact with investigators.