SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — A Louisiana father shot and killed eight children, including seven of his own, and wounded his wife and another woman in the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. in two years.
Two homes in a Shreveport neighborhood were attacked early Sunday morning. Authorities say the gunman, identified as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, died after being shot by officers following a police pursuit.
The police did not reveal the reason for the murder. Family members said Elkins and his wife were estranged, and community leaders called for a domestic violence investigation as the shootings reverberated throughout the city, including in classrooms where children go to school.
Here’s what to know about the attack.
The shooting started before sunrise
The attack began before dawn in the southern neighborhood of downtown Shreveport.
Police received the first report at 5:55 a.m. from a caller who said someone had been shot upstairs, Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. Five minutes later, police were told Elkins shot everyone inside the 79th Street house.
Troy Brown, Elkin’s brother-in-law, said his wife and their 12-year-old daughter escaped through the roof of the home.
Officers arrived within minutes but another call at 6:07 a.m. reported a second assault on nearby Harrison Street, where the caller said Elkins shot him before fleeing, according to Smith. Police then received a report that the gunman had stolen a car, which led to a subsequent pursuit and eventual exchange of gunfire.
Elkins was pronounced dead about an hour after police received the first call. It was unclear whether he was killed by officers or by a self-inflicted gunshot, Smith said.
The gunman had a felony firearm conviction
Elkins was placed on probation in 2019 after pleading guilty to unlawful use of a weapon, court records show. A police report for the case said Elkins fired five rounds into a vehicle and told police someone inside pulled a gun on him.
Under Louisiana law, a person convicted of unlawful use of a firearm is prohibited from possessing a firearm for at least 10 years after completing their sentence and probation. Police spokesman Chris Bordelon said investigators were not aware of any other domestic violence cases involving Elkins.
Authorities have not said how or where Elkins obtained the weapon used in Sunday’s attack.
Elkins served in the Louisiana National Guard from 2013 to 2020, held the rank of private and had no deployments, a guard spokeswoman said. He was a signal support system specialist and a fire support specialist.
Elkins voluntarily checked into a Veterans Affairs hospital for more than a week in January, according to Brown. He said Elkins appeared “much better after coming home” and seemed fine the day before the shooting.
All the children killed were under the age of 12
The ages of the eight children ranged from 3 to 11 years. In addition to Elkins’ seven children, her nephew was killed, according to the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office.
Family members described the gunman’s wife, Shaneika Elkins, as a doting mother who celebrated her children’s school successes and carefully dressed them before family events.
Shanequa Elkins’ niece, Francine Monroe Brown, said she often sees children playing in the yard on Sunday mornings when she leaves the house on her way to church. He called them “happy” and “joyous.”
Family members said the couple had separated
Elkins and his wife were separated and had been arguing about their relationship before the shooting, said Crystal Brown, the nephew of one of the women who was shot in the attack.
According to a database compiled by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University, the shooting in Shreveport was the deadliest in the U.S. since January 2024, when eight people died in the Chicago suburb.
