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Shreveport Police Cpl. Chris Bordelon described the scene officers encountered in blunt terms, calling it “disgusting and evil.”
“The vehicle was chased into Bossier Parish, and at which point in time, Shreveport police officers did discharge their firearm, and that individual is deceased,” he said.
The suspect reportedly fired at officers during the chase before being killed, according to local station KSLA.
Mayor Arceneaux did not hold back in describing the scale of the tragedy.
“This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport,” Arceneaux said.
One of the wounded women was reportedly in a relationship with Elkins. Authorities also said one woman suffered a gunshot wound to the head, underscoring the sheer brutality of the attack.
As details emerged, city leaders pointed to a growing crisis many communities have ignored for too long: domestic violence turning deadly.
City Councilman Grayson Boucher said the massacre reflects an alarming pattern that has plagued Shreveport.
“Over 30 percent of our crimes, 30 percent of our murders in the city of Shreveport are domestic,” he said. “Now that number has gone up. We’ve more than doubled our homicides in the city of Shreveport because of one act of domestic violence.”
“This is nothing but pure evil.”
Boucher also urged residents to remember the emotional toll on those who had to respond to the carnage.
“I’m here to tell you that the burden on them is real. They will carry this for the rest of their lives,” Boucher said.
The statement served as a sobering reminder that beyond the victims and their families, first responders and witnesses often endure trauma that lasts for years.
In a deeply emotional public statement, Mayor Arceneaux turned to the words of poet John Donne to express the city’s shared grief.
“‘No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
“Those words from John Donne remind us that a tragedy like this does not belong to one family alone—it belongs to all of us. Today, our community is grieving the unimaginable loss of innocent children. There are no words that can make sense of it, and no distance that shields us from it,” he said.
“Shreveport is not an island. We are connected—and in moments like this, that connection must mean something. It must mean compassion, it must mean awareness, and it must mean action.”
“This tragedy reaches far beyond the scene itself. It affects the first responders who answered the call, the neighbors who witnessed the aftermath, the families who are now living a nightmare, and a community that feels shaken to its core. These are the kinds of moments that leave a lasting imprint—on our hearts, on our minds, and on our sense of safety.”
He added that the community “must not ignore the deeper issues—violence in the home, untreated trauma, and the silence that allows both to grow.”
The slaughter of eight innocent children is a reminder of how quickly evil can erupt behind closed doors. While the investigation continues, one fact is already clear: Shreveport will never forget the lives stolen in this senseless massacre.
Residents across Louisiana and beyond are now mourning with the families left behind and praying for the survivors fighting for life.
