A man fatally shot eight children, seven of them his own, across three Shreveport, Louisiana, homes on Sunday, according to police.
It is the nation’s deadliest mass shooting since January 2024.
The children — three boys and five girls — ranged in age from 3 to 11. The shooter, 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, was fatally shot by officers after carjacking a vehicle and leading police on a chase.
Elkins also shot Shaneiqua Pugh, his wife, and Christina Snow, the mother of three of his children. A third woman — his wife’s sister — and a 12-year-old girl jumped off the roof trying to escape.
“It rattles the entire city,” Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said of the tragedy. “It affects us all.”
Here are some of the stories that made headlines over the past week, as well as some photos that caught our eye.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, left, conducts blockade operations in the Arabian Sea on Thursday, April 16. After peace talks broke down with Iran, the United States began enforcing a blockade on all traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports.
John Korir and Sharon Lokedi pose together after winning the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20. Both Kenyan runners won the race last year, too. Korir’s time of 2 hours, 1 minute and 52 seconds shattered the course record on Monday and was the fifth-fastest marathon of all time.
Firefighters respond to the Pineland Road Fire in southeast Georgia on Wednesday, April 22. In Georgia, extreme drought now covers 71% of the state, the highest since 2012. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency for 91 counties in response to the ongoing fires and drought conditions, freeing up resources and allowing for state National Guard troops to be deployed to the affected areas.
Journalists take pictures of a booking photo of David Anthony Burke, known as the singer d4vd, before the start of a press briefing in Los Angeles on Monday, April 20. Seven months after the decomposed body of a 14-year-old girl was found in the trunk of his car, Burke pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of first-degree murder.
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies before a Senate committee in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, April 22. Kennedy appeared before two committees on Wednesday and answered questions on a variety of topics, including vaccine policy and his department’s proposed budget.
Pope Leo XIV waves to people as he arrives to lead a Mass in Saurimo, Angola, on Monday, April 20. The pope recently wrapped up an 11-day trip that took him to four African countries.
A farmhouse damaged by a tornado is seen near Rockton, Illinois, on Saturday, April 18. Multiple destructive twisters struck the central United States, capping a weeklong stretch of severe storms in the region.
Former US President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sing "Wheels on the Bus" to children at a childcare center in the Bronx on Saturday, April 18. It was the first in-person meeting between Obama and Mamdani.
Coco Gauff serves the ball during a match at the Stuttgart Open in Stuttgart, Germany on Friday, April 17.
Kites fly in the sky during the International Kite Festival in Berck, France, on Saturday, April 18.
On the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death, a nun in Rome attends Mass at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore on Tuesday, April 21. The pope is buried at the basilica.
Grey seals rest on a sandy islet in the Baltic Sea as the sun begins to set near Mikoszewo, Poland, on Tuesday, April 21.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland heads the ball during a Premier League match against Arsenal in Manchester, England, on Sunday, April 19. Haaland scored the winning goal in the 2-1 victory.
A man stands in a damaged house following a Russian attack in Dnipro, Ukraine, on Thursday, April 16. Russia launched one of its largest barrages of drones and missiles on Ukraine this year, killing more than a dozen people and wounding more than 100 across the country, Ukrainian authorities said.
A woman holds her severely malnourished baby at a stabilization center in Kismayo, Somalia, on Wednesday, April 22. Millions of people in Somalia are facing the repercussions of a severe drought.
People lie next to tulips during the Tulips Festival in Saint-Denis, France, on Sunday, April 19.
Britain's King Charles III looks at a scaled sculpture of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, while visiting the British Museum in London on Tuesday, April 21. The sculpture was designed by Martin Jennings, and it was shown during a presentation on the final design recommendation for the Queen Elizabeth Memorial. Tuesday would have been the Queen’s 100th birthday.
A fisherman walks past docked pirogues at the Port Artisanal in Nouadhibou, Mauritania, on Wednesday, April 22.
The Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero dunks over Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart during an NBA playoff game in Detroit on Wednesday, April 22.
A woman arrives to cast her vote at a polling station entirely managed by women in Chennai, India, on Thursday, April 23.
A family drives through the ruins of the southern Lebanese village of Mansouri on Tuesday, April 21. A few days earlier, a ceasefire had begun between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel began targeting Hezbollah last month after Hezbollah fired projectiles into Israel to avenge the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Kevin Warsh, US President Donald Trump's nominee to succeed Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve, is sworn in to testify during a confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, April 21. During his testimony, Warsh faced multiple questions from senators about his ability to remain immune to pressure from Trump to cut interest rates immediately. Warsh defended his, and the institution’s, ability to operate outside of political interference.
Teenagers in Houston show stickers on their legs during the National Rifle Association's annual meetings and exhibits on Friday, April 17.
From left, actors Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci and Anne Hathaway attend the New York premiere of the film “The Devil Wears Prada 2” on Monday, April 20.
Sunlight illuminates Mount Rostoskytoppen in Svalbard, Norway, on Wednesday, April 22.
Members of a choir sing during a night vigil prayer in Yaounde, Cameroon, on Friday, April 17. Pope Leo XIV was in Cameroon that day, the second stop of his four-country African tour.
FBI Director Kash Patel leaves after a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, April 21. With acting Attorney General Todd Blanche by his side, Patel publicly addressed allegations about his conduct that were raised in a recent story in The Atlantic. Patel recently filed a $250 million defamation suit over the story. The Atlantic called the suit “meritless.”
Customers fill up their gas tanks at a Shell station in Hanover, Germany, on Sunday, April 19. Global oil prices rose significantly during the United States and Israel’s war with Iran.
A bumblebee flies to a rapeseed flower in Münzenberg, Germany, on Monday, April 20.
A woman weeps over a relative’s grave at a military cemetery in Jerusalem on Tuesday, April 21. It was Israel’s annual Memorial Day.
Sabrina Carpenter, left, and Madonna perform together at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, on Friday, April 17.
Capybaras cool off in the Pinheiros River in São Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday, April 19.
Real Madrid players celebrate after winning the UEFA Youth League final in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Monday, April 20.
Rescuers travel by boat to help flood victims in Guwahati, India, on Monday, April 20. See last week in 34 photos.
