SHREVEPORT, La. (TNND) — Officials in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Monday provided a detailed timeline of the events leading up to a weekend mass shooting allegedly carried out by a father that left him and eight children dead.

Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said the early morning violence on Sunday “will go down in history as one of the worst days that could have ever happened here in Shreveport.”

Smith outlined the following timeline:

• 5:55 a.m.: Shreveport Police Department received the first call regarding a disturbance at a home in the 300 block of West 79th Street. The caller stated they were on top of a home the suspect was inside and that a man had been shot.
• 5:58 a.m.: Dispatch received an additional call indicating the suspect was a relative of the caller.
• 5:59 a.m.: Caller identified Shamar Wilkins shot everyone inside the home and advised that nine people lived at the home.
• 6 a.m.: Caller advised she and her children had fled from the roof and were now in the backyard.
• 6:01 a.m.: Officers arrived at the scene.
• 6:03 a.m.: Officers made contact with the caller at the home.
• 6:07 a.m.: A second call was received regarding a shooting in the 500 block of Harrison Street, stating her boyfriend had shot her, taken her 3 children and fled the scene. The victim identified the suspect as Shamar Wilkins.
• 6:10 a.m. Dispatchers connected the Harrison Street shooting to the West 79th Street shooting.
• 6:15 a.m.: Officers received information that the suspect carjacked a red Kia Sportage at W 29th Street.
• 6:17 a.m.: Traffic units on random patrol encountered a vehicle traveling southbound on I-49.
• 6:20 a.m.: Officers received information that the children taken from the Harrison Street shooting may be in the fleeing vehicle.
• 6:25 a.m.: Officers locate the injured victims from the Harrison Street shooting.
• 6:29 a.m.: Officers made contact with the suspect through an exchange of gunfire.
• 6:30 a.m.: Officers confirm contact with the suspect.
• 6:40 a.m.: Officers advised the suspect vehicle was empty and no children were inside.
• 6:43 a.m.: Multiple deceased victims found at West 79th Street.
• 7:03 a.m.: The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene on Brompton Lane.
• 7:14 a.m.: The Shreveport Police Department contacted the Louisiana State Police Investigation Division.

Police later identified the suspect as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins and said his cause of death remains under investigation, including whether he was killed by an officer or died by a self-inflicted gunshot.

Smith said the weapon used in the deadly shootings appeared to be an assault-style firearm.

The U.S. Army told CBS News that Elkins pleaded guilty to a weapons charge in 2019. He served in the Louisiana National Guard from 2013 to 2020.

“He, and he alone, is responsible for the deaths of eight children,” Shreveport police said in a statement. “Our hearts are with the victims, their loved ones, and all those impacted by this senseless act of violence.”

Seven of the children are believed to be Elkins’ own, according to police.

Authorities said the violence began as a domestic incident early Sunday. The children, ranging in age from 3 to 11, were found dead at the West 79th Street home. Some victims attempted to escape through a window and onto the roof; one child was later found dead there.

Officials said Elkins also shot the mother of his children in the face; she is expected to survive. A second woman remains in critical condition.

City leaders urged the public to respect the families’ privacy.

“Leave the social media chatter alone,” Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor said. “The best thing you can do is allow them to navigate this devastating, traumatic process.”

Leaders also cautioned against spreading unverified information online, saying misinformation was already complicating the response and adding to families’ pain.

Councilman Grayson Boucher called domestic violence a “true epidemic” in Shreveport and said addressing it must be a top priority.

Louisiana State Police are investigating the officer-involved shooting, while Shreveport police continue to investigate the killings.