Shamar Elkins, 31, opened fire in two Shreveport homes on Sunday, killing eight children aged three to 11 and injuring three others in what authorities described as a violent domestic incident. Police shot and killed Elkins after he fled the scene and stole a vehicle.
The Caddo Parish Coroner's Office identified the victims as Jayla Elkins, three; Shayla Elkins, five; Kayla Pugh, six; Layla Pugh, six; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, six; and Braylon Snow, five. Seven of the eight children were Elkins' biological children.
Among those injured were Shaneiqua Pugh, Elkins' wife and mother of four of his children, and the mother of his three other children. Both women were listed in critical condition after the shooting. Police said Elkins shot Pugh first, then opened fire on the children.
Officers had been summoned to investigate a domestic dispute involving Elkins and Pugh, who were scheduled to appear in court on Monday regarding their separation. Shreveport Police Spokesperson Christopher Bordelon told the Associated Press that investigators were confident the shooting was "entirely a domestic" matter, though the full scope of what triggered the violence remains under investigation.
Elkins had a prior weapons conviction from 2019, when he pleaded guilty to illegal use of weapons after allegedly firing a handgun at a vehicle five times. He was also arrested for driving under the influence in 2016. Police stated they were unaware of any prior domestic violence complaints against him before Sunday.
Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said he was stunned by the killing spree. "My heart is just taken aback," Smith said at a news conference. "I just cannot begin to imagine how such an event can occur." Mayor Tom Arceneaux called it "maybe the worst tragic situation" his city had faced in recent memory.
Family members said Elkins had been displaying signs of severe emotional distress in recent days. On Easter Sunday, April 5, he called his mother and stepfather, Marcus Jackson, and wept while telling them he wanted to take his own life. He mentioned his wife wanted a divorce and said he was experiencing "dark thoughts." Jackson recalled telling him he could overcome his struggles, to which Elkins responded: "Some people don't come back from their demons."
His mother, Mahelia Elkins, said she texted her son the Thursday before the shooting to send love to her grandchildren, but received no response. She told the New York Times she did not know the specifics of the marital problems.
Betty Walker, a family friend who raised Elkins as a child, told the Times that Elkins shot his wife multiple times, including in the head and stomach. Both his mother and Walker said they had felt uneasy about him recently, though he had posted a prayer on Facebook asking God to help him "guard my mind and my emotions" and shared a family photo with relatives.
Troy Brown, Elkins' brother-in-law who lived with him, told the Washington Post that Elkins had acted normal when they last saw each other on Saturday. But in recent conversations about the pending divorce, Elkins became visibly distressed. "After the first argument about the divorce, he acted like he was losing his mind," Brown said. "He would tell me, 'Bro, I don't want to lose my wife.'"
A colleague at UPS described Elkins as appearing stressed on the job, noting he would pull his hair out, creating a visible bald spot. Elkins served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from 2013 to 2020 as a signal support system specialist and fire support specialist before joining UPS.
The shooting marks the deadliest U.S. mass shooting since January 2024, when an attacker killed eight people in a Chicago suburb. It is the seventh mass killing in the United States so far this year and part of a disturbing pattern. Research has identified cases fitting the profile of "family annihilation," in which a gunman kills multiple family members before taking his own life or being killed. An Indianapolis Star investigation found such incidents occurring across the nation roughly every five days on average.
Louisiana has struggled with gaps in mental health care access and has documented high rates of intimate partner violence. The National Domestic Violence Hotline notes that the period when a person leaves a relationship carries heightened risk for violence.
Author James Rodriguez: "Another family obliterated in a home, another warning sign ignored, another preventable tragedy in a nation that has learned to live with the unthinkable."
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