A horrific tragedy has shaken the city of Shreveport after a 31-year-old father, Shamar Elkins, fatally shot eight children — seven of them his own — in a domestic attack that spanned two houses in a residential neighborhood. Two women, including the gunman’s wife and mother of several of the children, were also critically wounded. The incident is one of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States in more than two years.
According to Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon, all eight children, aged between 3 and 11 years old, were killed inside the same house. The victims consisted of three boys and five girls. Authorities have described the shooting as “entirely a domestic incident.”
Timeline of the Attack
The violence erupted before sunrise in a neighborhood south of downtown Shreveport. Elkins first shot a woman at one residence, then drove to a second house where the majority of the killings took place. Seven children were shot dead inside the home, while an eighth child was found dead on the roof after apparently attempting to escape. Another child jumped from the roof and survived, sustaining injuries that required hospitalization.
Both women shot — including Elkins’ wife — remain in critical condition. After the attack, the suspect fled in a vehicle, leading to a police pursuit that ended when officers fired on him, resulting in his death.
Police were previously familiar with Elkins due to a 2019 firearms-related arrest, but said they were not aware of any prior domestic violence incidents involving him.
Family Context: Ongoing Separation
Crystal Brown, a cousin of one of the wounded women, revealed that Shamar Elkins and his wife were in the middle of a separation and were scheduled to appear in court the following day. The couple had been arguing about the separation shortly before the shooting occurred.
According to Brown, Elkins shared four children with his wife and three children with another woman who lived nearby and was also shot. All the children were gathered at one house at the time of the attack. She described the victims as “happy kids, very friendly, and very sweet.”
Neighbors reported hearing gunshots and seeing the suspect running from the house on security camera footage. Some children reportedly tried to flee through the back door.
Community and Official Reactions
Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith expressed deep shock, stating: “I just don’t know what to say, my heart is just taken aback. I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
Mayor Tom Arceneaux described the incident as “maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” calling it “a terrible morning” for the city of approximately 180,000 residents in northwestern Louisiana.
Mourners gathered outside the blood-stained house on 79th Street to lay flowers. Later that evening, community members held a candlelight prayer vigil in a nearby parking lot. One resident said the tragedy made her “take [her] children and hug them and hold them and tell them how much [she loves] them.”
The district attorney’s office issued a statement: “What began as a domestic dispute has ended in irreversible harm.”
Pastor Marty T. Johnson Sr., who owns one of the rental homes involved, expressed sorrow over the event.
Deadliest Mass Shooting in Over Two Years
This massacre is the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University.
The Shreveport community remains overwhelmed with grief as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this unimaginable act of domestic violence.
