Two adult women were also shot and remain in critical conditions.

Man charged over fatal Supanova crash

(Source: 7NEWS)

A man has shot dead eight children, seven of them his own children, in one of the worst mass shootings in the United States in several years.

The shootings took place in the early hours of Sunday, local time, across three separate homes in the town of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Police said the child victims ranged in age from a one-year-old to 14 years old. Two adult women were also shot and both remain in critical conditions.

One teenager also suffered non-life threatening injuries while fleeing the scene.

The man responsible for the shooting was identified by police as Shamar Elkins, with police confirming the killings were “domestic in nature”.

Shreveport police Corporal Chris Bordelon told local media that Elkins is alleged to have first gone to one home and shot his wife and mother of his children, leaving her critically injured.

He then allegedly went to the second home, fatally shooting his seven children as well as critically injuring another woman and fatally shooting her child.

The man had worked in the US army reserves for seven years until 2020, CNN reports.

Elkins allegedly stole a car and fled to a nearby suburb as he was pursued by police before being shot dead by officers.

Eight children have been shot dead in a Louisiana neighbourhood.Eight children have been shot dead in a Louisiana neighbourhood. Credit: AP

Crime scenes have been set up at two homes in the Louisiana city of Shreveport after the mass shooting.Crime scenes have been set up at two homes in the Louisiana city of Shreveport after the mass shooting. Credit: AAP

“This is a very large scene with multiple deceased children present,” Bordelon told media at the scene.

At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred, police requested patience as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.

“I just don’t know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said.

“I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”

Mayor Tom Arceneaux said it was a “terrible morning”.

“This is a tragic situation. Maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” he said.

The tragedy is said to be the deadliest mass shooting in the US since 2024.

There have been at least 114 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, not including the shooter.

– With CNN