Tragedy struck the town of Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday morning as a man shot and killed eight children — seven of his own and one of their cousins — and critically injured his wife and former partner, officials reported.
The shooter, identified as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, reportedly shot his wife, the mother of four of his children, first in their home in Shreveport’s Cedar Grove community in the early morning hours of Sunday, according to police. He then went to another residence in the area where he shot the eight children and the other woman, the mother of three of his children, according to official accounts.
The attack is being reported as entirely domestic in nature. Police have labeled it as the deadliest mass shooting in recent years, according to The Associated Press.
The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office identified the following child victims, per KSLA News 12:
- Jayla Elkins, 3
- Shayla Elkins, 5
- Kayla Pugh, 6
- Layla Pugh, 7
- Markaydon Pugh, 10
- Sariahh Snow, 11
- Khedarrion Snow, 6
- Braylon Snow, 5
A ninth child, a 13-year-old boy, was reportedly at the scene and escaped by jumping off the room of the home. He broke some bones, but is going to be OK, according to police.
“The incident began as a domestic dispute at around 5 a.m. The suspect first shot a woman in the face before going to a different, nearby residence, where all eight people who were killed were shot,” per CBS News. “They said he targeted them even as some tried to escape by crawling through a window and climbing onto the roof of the house, where one child was found dead.”
The total number of people shot was 10, and only the adult women are survivors.
The shooter, Elkins, died by gunfire following a police pursuit, though law enforcement has not made clear yet whether he died by police fire or a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Elkins served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from 2013 to 2020 as a signal support system specialist and fire support specialist. He was working with UPS at the time, according to The New York Times, and had pleaded guilty to weapons charges in 2019.
“This tragedy reaches far beyond the scene itself. It affects the first responders who answered the call, the neighbors who witnessed the aftermath, the families who are now living a nightmare, and a community that feels shaken to its core,” Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said in a statement on social media. “These are the kinds of moments that leave a lasting imprint — on our hearts, on our minds, and on our sense of safety.”
People close to Elkins told The New York Times that he was experiencing mental health struggles recently. In recent Facebook posts, Elkins posted a message to God asking for protection of his mind “when depression tries to settle in, when anger rises, when anxiety or panic comes.”
His mother and stepfather told the Times that Elkins said he had been struggling with “dark thoughts,” had suicidal ideations and that his wife wanted a divorce.
“I told him, ‘You can beat stuff, man. I don’t care what you’re going through, you can beat it,’” his stepfather, Marcus Jackson, said. “Then I remember him telling me: ‘Some people don’t come back from their demons.’”
A neighbor, Liza Demming, told The Associated Press that her doorbell camera caught Elkins fleeing the scene and the sound of gunshots. Demming added that she later stepped outside and saw a child’s body covered on the roof.
A prayer vigil was held by community members for the victims on Sunday evening.
“The investigation has not concluded,” Shreveport Chief of Police Wayne Smith said in a press conference on Monday. “There are still bits and pieces coming in to put this bizarre puzzle together.”