A father has killed seven of his children and an unrelated child in a mass shooting in Shreveport in the US state of Louisiana that police have described as a “domestic disturbance”.

The children were aged from one year old to 14 years old, the BBC’s US new partner CBS reports.

Officers said the shooting began about 05:00 (10:00 GMT) on Sunday. The suspect shot 10 people before fleeing in a stolen car, Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon said. Police then chased and killed him, BBC reported.

Two adult women, including the mother of the children, are in critical condition.

The suspect has been identified as Shamar Elkins, Shreveport mayor’s communications director Leigh Anne Evensky told the BBC.

The suspect shot a woman on the street before going to a nearby residence where he killed the eight children, “one of whom was not a kin to him”, according to police.

One of the victims ran to a nearby home and called authorities, police said. They said the gunman acted alone. A ninth child jumped from the roof and was in hospital, Bordelon said.

Speaking earlier on Sunday Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said: “This is a tragic situation – maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport, BBC reported.