8 children killed in mass shooting in US state of Louisiana

Eight children have been killed in a mass shooting in the United States, leaving local people reeling and shocked by the incident.

Reports published on Sunday said the children were killed after a suspected gunman shot at people at 6 am in four separate locations in the Louisiana city of Shreveport.

The children were aged 8 to 14, the reports said, adding that two women and a young boy were also injured and survived the act of mass murder.

Police said the suspected killer was later shot dead after a vehicle pursuit that extended to another city in Louisiana.

They said no police or security officer was injured in the confrontation.

However, authorities said the killer may have been related to some of the victims of the attack, although they said final results will be known after an investigation.

The local community in Shreveport, a city of about 187,000 people in north-western Louisiana, was shocked and reeling as the mass shooting was described as one of the most severe and unprecedented cases ever seen in the region.

“This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve … had … It’s a terrible morning in Shreveport,” Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said at a news conference later on Sunday.

The incident is the seventh case of mass murder recorded across the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

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