A devastating announcement was issued just minutes into BBC Breakfast. Jon Kay confirmed that eight children were shot dead in Louisiana and a suspect has now been named. He said: "Police in the American state of Louisiana have named a man who's suspected of shooting dead eight children, some of whom were related to him, and injuring two adults.

"It happened in the city of Shreveport in the early hours of Sunday. The suspect, who has been named as Shamar Elkins, fled the scene in a stolen car but was chased and shot dead by officers." BBC correspondent Tom Simons revealed this is the worst mass shooting for two years in the US.

He explained: "It's deeply disturbing for this community because those who lost lives were all children and highly unusual because this appears to be a domestic incident.

"Police trying to make sense of it focused on two houses close to each other in the south of Shreveport, where shots were fired."

A police officer shared further details on the horrific crime scene, revealing all seven children were found dead inside one house.

He revealed that there was another deceased child, who appeared to have been attempting to escape the house via the roof.

The children killed were three boys and five girls, aged 3 to 11, the Caddo Parish Coroner's Office said.

Seven of the children were Elkins' and the other is believed to have been a cousin.

The officer added: "This is a large operation. We have three crime scenes just here in Shreveport, one of them is incredibly gruesome in nature and it's going to take several hours to process."

Police are examining the shooter's links to both houses. Elkins hijacked a car close to the scene before being pursued by police. They followed him out of the city and shot him dead.

The two other adults who were shot and seriously injured are believed to be the mother of the suspect's children and his girlfriend.

Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon said Elkins had been known to police and was arrested in 2019 in a firearms case.

"I just don't know what to say. My heart is just taken aback," Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith told reporters. "I just cannot begin to imagine how such an event can occur."