Eight children have been shot dead in a believed domestic violence related mass shooting in the United States.
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 one to 14-years-old. Two adult women were also shot and both remain in critical conditions.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
One teenager also suffered non-life threatening injuries.
The man responsible for the shooting is believed to be related to one or more of the victims, police said.
CNN reported that the man also began firing shots at police, before he was eventually shot and killed by officers.
“This is a very large scene with multiple deceased children present,” Shreveport police Corporal Chris Bordelon told CNN.
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.
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