A Louisiana man has killed eight children, seven of them his own, in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The fatal shooting occurred in the early hours of April 19, with police killing the alleged shooter, identified as Shamar Elkins, after a pursuit. During Elkins’ killing spree, 10 victims were hit with bullets, including two adult women, as stated by the Shreveport Police Department at a news conference.
However, nearly all of the fatalities were his biological children, with the additional child identified as one of their cousins. According to information from the coroner’s office obtained by CBS News, the slain children’s ages ranged from 3 to 11. The mothers identified the children 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.
A police report further detailed how the man initially shot one woman before going to another home and fatally killing eight people inside. One of the victims managed to escape to a nearby residence to call the police.
The police confirmed the incident as a domestic case. At the same time, the family’s relative told the Associated Press that both of the women shot were the mothers of the suspected shooter’s children. The relative recalled that he and his wife were due in court that Monday over their pending separation.
Shreveport police detailed that, following the gunfire, Elkins attempted to flee the scene
by carjacking a vehicle. However, the police chase ended with open fire, leaving the Louisiana man dead. Elkins’ past includes a 2019 guilty plea to a weapons-related charge. He previously spent seven years in the Louisiana Army National Guard as both a signal support system and fire support specialist until 2020, according to Army records.The shooting has shocked the Shreveport community while garnering national attention, especially considering its domestic nature. State and local leaders condemned the incident, noting it as one of the gravest acts of violence in Shreveport’s history. On a national level, the incident is the deadliest mass shooting in over two years.
“Over 30% of our crimes and 30% of our murders in the city of
Shreveport are domestic in relation. Now that number has gone up,” Shreveport Councilman Grayson Boucher said at a news conference.“We’ve more than doubled our homicide rate in the city of Shreveport because of one act of domestic violence.”According to a 2026 Domestic Violence Special Report released by the FBI, violent crimes within domestic relationships have also increased over a five-year study period initiated in 2020. Of these numbers, police nationwide reported 11,000 domestic violence murder victims. In total, they also documented over 1.1 million victims of domestic violence, with nearly 75% of all victims identifying as female.
As the Louisiana State Police and detectives begin investigating the mass shooting, anti-gun advocates have also spoken out about the scene. Former elected official and gun violence victim, Gabby Giffords, also called for justice to prevent such tragedies.
“This is a devastating act of domestic gun violence, taking the lives of eight young children. My heart is breaking for their families, the survivors, and everyone in Shreveport today,” Giffords said. “All of us should be outraged that we live in a country that routinely subjects our kids to such unimaginable violence.”
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