A father has killed seven of his children and another child in Shreveport, Louisiana, in a mass shooting that police have called a “domestic disturbance.”
Officers said the shooting began about 5:00 a.m. local time on Sunday. After attacking the children at a property, the suspect, identified as Shamar Elkins, drove away in a stolen car. Officers chased and killed him.
Two adult women, including the children’s mother, are in critical condition after they were also hurt by gunfire. An Eight child was taken to hospital after jumping from the roof of the home while escaping.
“We do believe him to be the only individual that fired gunshots at these locations,” said Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon.
The children, siblings and one cousin, were three boys and five girls, aged between three and 11, the Caddo Parish coroner’s office said. They were identified as Jayla Elkins, 3, Shayla Elkins, 5, Kayla Pugh, 6, Layla Pugh, 7, Markaydon Pugh, 10, Sariahh Snow, 11, Khedarrion Snow, 6, and Braylon Snow, 5.
The attack occurred across multiple locations. Police said the father first shot a woman, then moved to a second location where he fired further shots at the children. One victim ran to a nearby home and called authorities.
Members of the family told US media that Elkins was facing a split from his wife. His brother-in-law told the Washington Post that Elkins had been upset after his wife requested a divorce. “After the first argument about the divorce, he acted like he was losing his mind,” he said.
A cousin of one of the wounded women told the AP that the couple were separating and had been due to appear in court on Monday. “He murdered his children… he shot his wife,” she said.
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux called it “maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport.”
The incident is the deadliest mass shooting in the US since January 2024, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said he and his wife were “heartbroken over this horrific situation.”
