A 31-year-old man, Shamar Elkins, who fatally shot eight children on Sunday morning in Shreveport, Louisiana, has been identified as the father of seven of the victims.

The eighth child was his deceased children’s cousin. 

Peoples Gazette had reported that the children, aged between 3 and 11 years, were murdered during a shooting that left two other people seriously wounded.

In a statement on Sunday, Chris Bordelon, spokesperson for the Shreveport Police Department, confirmed that the two victims who sustained serious injuries and are currently being treated are women, while a teenager sustained other injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

The Shreveport Police Department had said on Sunday that it received a report and responded to the shooting incident on West 79th Street at about 06:00 a.m. 

Mr Bordelon said the crime scene was extensive, and covered two homes on the street and a third house on nearby Harrison Street.

He, however, confirmed that police officers shot and killed Mr Elkins, who was the only suspect linked to the killings, during a chase in Bossier Parish.

The Shreveport police said Mr Elkins first shot a woman on the street before going to a nearby residence, where he shot and killed the eight children.

The department further noted that, during the shootings, one of the victims ran to a nearby residence and was able to call the police.