In a tragedy that has left an entire community in mourning, 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, a former Louisiana Army National Guard member, carried out one of the deadliest domestic mass shootings in recent U.S. history on the morning of April 19, 2026, in Shreveport, Louisiana. Police say Elkins shot and killed eight children — seven of whom were his own biological children — and critically wounded two women, including the mother of his kids, before he was fatally shot by officers during a police chase.

The nightmare unfolded just before 6 a.m. in the Cedar Grove neighborhood. According to authorities, Elkins first confronted and shot his wife at one residence on Harrison Street, leaving her with life-threatening injuries. He then moved to a second home nearby on West 79th Street, where the children were gathered. There, he opened fire in what police described as an execution-style attack, killing the young victims one after another.

The innocent lives lost were heartbreakingly young: 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. Their ages ranged from just three to eleven years old. A 13-year-old boy managed to escape by jumping from the roof, sustaining broken bones but surviving to tell the horrifying tale.

What makes this atrocity even more devastating is the glimpse into Elkins’ life in the hours leading up to the killings. The Army veteran, who served from 2013 to 2020 as a signal system and fire support specialist but was never deployed, had posted photos of his children on social media. Just hours before the rampage, he shared an image of himself with one of his daughters. Two weeks earlier, he had proudly posted pictures of taking seven of the children to Easter service at church — images that now stand as a cruel contrast to the bloodshed that followed.

Shreveport gunman kills 8 kids -- including 7 of his own -- in mass shooting

Elkins had a limited criminal history, including a 2019 weapons charge for which he served probation. Reports suggest he was struggling with mental health issues, including “dark thoughts” and possible suicidal ideation in the days prior. Family members indicated that he and his wife were in the midst of a separation and were scheduled to appear in court the very next day.

After the shootings, Elkins carjacked a vehicle at gunpoint and fled. Police pursued him into Bossier Parish, where officers opened fire, ending his life at the scene. In total, 11 people were shot that morning — eight children dead, two women critically injured, and the teenage survivor.

This massacre has shaken Shreveport to its core, prompting emergency meetings by the City Council and renewed calls for better domestic violence prevention and mental health support for veterans. Neighbors described the Cedar Grove area as normally quiet, making the sudden eruption of violence even more incomprehensible.

As investigators continue piecing together the final moments, the community is left grappling with unimaginable grief. Eight tiny coffins. A mother fighting to survive. And a father whose last public act was sharing a smiling photo with the very children he would soon destroy. In the quiet streets of Shreveport, the silence now screams with questions that may never be fully answered.