Shamar Elkins grew up in Shreveport. Born on January 1, 1995, he spent his entire life in the city — the same city where everything ended on April 19. On paper, parts of his life looked ordinary, even admirable. He served his country. He had a large family. He posted photos of his kids on Facebook.
But there was a darker side that investigators are now piecing together.
A Veteran With a Troubling Record
Elkins served in the Louisiana Army National Guard for about seven years before leaving in August 2020. He was never sent overseas. His wife, Shaneiqua Elkins, had posted a photo of him in uniform back in 2016, excited for his return home.
What his military file does not show, however, is the 2019 arrest that should have been a warning sign. That year, police say Elkins stepped outside his home and fired roughly five rounds at a passing car — near Caddo Magnet High School, while children were outside on the playground. Shell casings were recovered. At least one bullet came close to the school boundary.
He was charged with illegal weapons use and carrying a firearm on school grounds. In October 2019, he pleaded guilty to the weapons charge. The second charge was dropped, and he walked away with 18 months of probation. No prison time.
What His Facebook Posts Revealed
In the days before the shooting, Elkins was posting on social media as if life was normal. On April 5, he shared a photo of himself taking his kids to church for Easter. He smiled in family pictures. He looked like a dad who was present.
But ten days before the massacre, something else showed up on his Facebook page. On April 9, 2026, he shared a prayer that read more like a cry for help: “Dear God, Today I ask You to help me guard my mind and my emotions… When depression tries to settle in, when anger rises, when anxiety or panic comes, give me the awareness to recognize what is not from You and the strength to reject it immediately in the name of JESUS.”
The post struck many who later read it as a man who felt something was slipping inside him. The night before the shooting, he posted a photo of his eldest daughter enjoying a burger at a restaurant — a lighthearted moment that now carries a terrible weight.
The Shreveport Mass Shooting: A Step-by-Step Timeline
It Starts on Harrison Street
Around 5:00 a.m. on April 19, Elkins showed up on Harrison Street and shot a woman. Investigators believe that woman was his wife, Shaneiqua — the mother of seven of his children. She was shot in the face. Somehow, she survived. She later underwent surgery and, as of Sunday, was in stable condition.
Eight Children Die on West 79th Street
From Harrison Street, Elkins made his way to a home on the 300 block of West 79th Street, about a quarter mile away. That is where the true horror of the morning took shape.
Inside that house were eight children ranging in age from just 3 to 11 years old. Elkins opened fire using a small-caliber handgun. Seven children were killed inside the home. The eighth — shot while climbing onto the roof, apparently desperate to escape — did not survive either.
A 13-year-old boy made it out. He jumped from the roof, broke bones in the fall, and was able to call for help. That call brought police to the scene.
A second adult woman was also shot inside or near the home. Her condition was described as life-threatening.
When police spokesperson Corporal Chris Bordelon read out the victims’ ages at a press conference hours later, people in the room audibly gasped. Police Chief Wayne Smith, visibly shaken, told reporters: “My heart is just taken aback. I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
The Chase and the End
Elkins did not stay at the scene. He fled, found a nearby vehicle, and forced his way into it — a carjacking in the middle of a Sunday morning. Shreveport police spotted the vehicle and gave chase. The pursuit crossed the city line into Bossier Parish, ending on the 400 block of Brompton Lane in Bossier City.
Officers confronted Elkins there. Shots were fired. Elkins was killed. As of the latest update, authorities have not determined with certainty whether he was struck by a police bullet or died by his own hand. The Louisiana State Police are handling that part of the inquiry separately. No officers were hurt.
The Victims: Eight Children Who Deserved Better
The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office released the names of all eight children on Sunday, with their mothers confirming each identification. Seven of the eight were brothers and sisters. The eighth was their cousin. Three boys and five girls — all between the ages of 3 and 11.
Their names are:
- Jayla Elkins, age 3
- Shayla Elkins, age 5
- Kayla Pugh, age 6
- Layla Pugh, age 7
- Markaydon Pugh, age 10
- Sariahh Snow, age 11
- Khedarrion Snow, age 6
- Braylon Snow, age 5
What Investigators Are Saying — and What They Still Don’t Know
Right now, no official motive has been confirmed. Police have called it a domestic incident, but the precise reason Elkins did what he did — whether it was a custody dispute, a mental breakdown, an argument gone catastrophic, or something else — remains unclear.
Domestic Violence Is a Chronic Problem in Shreveport
City councilman Grayson Boucher shared a sobering number in the aftermath: over 30% of all murders in Shreveport are domestic in origin. That context does not explain what happened on April 19, but it does frame the environment in which it occurred.
Mayor Tom Arceneaux addressed reporters that morning and called the shooting “maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had” in Shreveport’s history. He asked residents to pray — not just for the families directly affected, but for the entire community.
Counseling and mental health support is being provided to officers who responded to the scene. Police Chief Smith acknowledged that even trained first responders found this scene unlike anything they had dealt with before.
How Public Officials and the Community Responded
News of the Shamar Elkins Louisiana shooting spread quickly, and reactions came in from all corners.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who was born in Shreveport and still represents the area in Congress, released a statement calling the shooting “a heartbreaking tragedy.” He said his office was in direct communication with local law enforcement and that the families were being held close in his thoughts.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry also released a public statement as the day’s events became clearer.
Attorney General Liz Murrill posted on social media confirming that multiple agencies were joining the investigation.
On the ground in Cedar Grove, residents came out to leave flowers and light candles near the crime scene. That evening, a prayer vigil was held — community members standing together in grief, trying to find some kind of comfort in the face of something almost impossible to process.
Why This Case Has National Significance
The Shreveport shooting has already been called the deadliest mass killing in the United States since January 2024, when eight people — mostly family members — were shot in Joliet, Illinois. According to the Gun Violence Archive, at least 114 mass shooting incidents had already taken place across the U.S. in 2026 before this one.
Beyond the raw statistics, this case has reignited conversation around three specific issues:
Domestic violence and family mass murder: Studies have shown, time and again, that most mass killings in the United States occur within families or between intimate partners. Shreveport is yet another tragic data point in that pattern.
Mental health support for veterans: Elkins served in the military and then, by his own social media admissions, struggled emotionally in the years that followed. His April 9 post raises difficult questions about what support systems are available — and whether they are reaching the people who need them most.
Gun access for those with prior weapon convictions: Elkins was convicted of an illegal weapons charge in 2019. Yet he had firearms readily available on April 19. How that happened is something investigators will likely address in the coming days.
FAQ:
Q.1. Who is Shamar Elkins?
Shamar Elkins was a 31-year-old Shreveport man and former Louisiana Army National Guard veteran. Police identified him as the gunman responsible for shooting and killing eight children — seven of whom were his own — on April 19, 2026. He died later that morning after police pursued him into Bossier City.
Q.2. How many children were killed in the Louisiana shooting?
Eight children were killed. Their ages ranged from 3 to 11 years old — seven siblings and one cousin. Two adult women were also shot; one, believed to be Elkins’ wife, is expected to survive, while the other suffered life-threatening injuries.
Q.3. Has a motive been identified?
Not officially. Law enforcement has described the incident as domestic in nature, but no specific motive has been publicly confirmed. Social media posts from Elkins in the days before the shooting have suggested he may have been experiencing emotional distress, but investigators have not yet made a formal determination.
Q.4. Is Shamar Elkins dead?
Yes. Elkins was killed during a police confrontation in Bossier City, Louisiana, following a vehicle chase after the shooting. The Louisiana State Police are conducting an independent review of the officer-involved shooting.
Q.5. Where exactly did the Shreveport shooting happen?
The shooting unfolded across several locations in the Cedar Grove neighborhood of Shreveport — beginning on Harrison Street, continuing at the 300 block of West 79th Street, and ending in Bossier City where law enforcement caught up with Elkins.
A Community Left to Grieve
What happened on April 19, 2026, is not easy to summarize, and it should not be. Eight children woke up that morning and never had the chance to see the evening. A 3-year-old. A 5-year-old. An 11-year-old. All gone before noon on a Sunday.
The Louisiana shooter Shamar Elkins case forces us to face uncomfortable truths — about domestic violence, about mental health in veterans, about how warning signs get missed or ignored. The people of Shreveport are asking questions that the rest of America should be asking too.
As the investigation moves forward, we will continue to update this article with confirmed information. In the meantime, if you or anyone around you is caught in a dangerous domestic situation or struggling with a mental health crisis, please use one of the resources below.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
- Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
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