Shooting in Shreveport Involves Domestic Violence

A gunman killed eight children, seven of whom were his own, and seriously wounded two women in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday. Police reported that one of the wounded women was the gunman's wife. The shooting marked the deadliest in the United States in more than two years.

A neighbor stated to The Associated Press that the wounded women were the mothers of the children and that the gunman and his wife had recently argued about their planned separation. Local officials described the event as one of the worst days in Shreveport's history.

They noted it exemplified a known issue in the community.

urged policymakers to address gaps in legislation aimed at preventing fatal domestic violence crimes. Sam Levy, director of policy advocacy at Everytown for Gun Safety, stated that the nexus between gun violence and domestic violence is a well-established reality in the U.S. gun violence crisis.

Research shows a woman is five times more likely to be killed in a domestic violence situation if a gun is involved, with similar risks for children. Firearm injuries are the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States, according to statistics from organizations including the Children's Hospital Association and the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

Almost 5.4 million Americans reported being victims of domestic violence over the last five years, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, with the majority being women. Data indicate that access to guns can make such incidents more likely to turn deadly.

councilmember Grayson Boucher referred to a true epidemic of domestic violence in the city on Monday, stating it should be a top priority for the city's administration, council, and law enforcement. Shreveport's mayor urged people to use community resources like a domestic violence shelter established by the sheriff's office.

Councilmember Tabatha Taylor stated that these are the residual effects of not paying attention to domestic violence. Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who founded a gun violence prevention organization after being wounded in a 2011 mass shooting, pressed leaders in Louisiana and Washington to enact reforms.

Her organization gave Louisiana a failing grade in its latest annual Gun Law Scorecard, noting the state has some of the weakest gun laws and highest firearm death rates in the nation.

Gaps Louisiana has enacted laws banning people convicted of domestic abuse or battery from possessing firearms. Federal law prevents most convicted domestic abusers from owning guns, but it does not cover all relationships and requires state-level policies for enforcement, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.

Levy stated that Louisiana has other gaps that make these laws less effective. The state does not require gun sellers to be licensed, so they are not mandated to conduct background checks. The gunman in the Shreveport shooting did not have prior domestic abuse convictions but pleaded guilty to a weapons charge in 2019.

Authorities charged another man, who was legally banned from possessing guns due to a past felony, with allegedly providing the weapon. Louisiana lacks an extreme risk law, which would allow loved ones or police to seek court orders temporarily barring access to guns for individuals in crisis.

Fewer than half of U.S. states have such laws, according to Everytown. Levy stated that these measures can empower people to act on warning signs. >"Every day in America, domestic abusers are armed, and women and children — disproportionately Black — pay the cost with their lives," Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action, said in a statement.

Advocacy groups noted that women of color are often targeted in deadly domestic violence incidents and emphasized the need for interventions to stop the pattern.