Louisiana authorities on Monday provided new details about a domestic violence event that ended in eight children being murdered.
Shamar Elkins allegedly killed the children, seven of whom were his own, on Sunday morning in Shreveport. The children ranged in age from 3 to 11, according to the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office. Two other people were wounded and remain in the hospital. The two women, identified as Elkins’s wife and his girlfriend, are undergoing surgery, officials said Monday.
In a news conference, Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith provided updates on the case and a timeline of events, telling residents that several details about what led to the incident remain under investigation by his department and the FBI. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is probing how Elkins obtained the gun used in the shooting, Smith said, describing the weapon as an assault pistol. Louisiana State Police are investigating whether he died by suicide or was killed by police during an exchange of gunfire.
Smith said police received the first call about the disturbance at 5:55 a.m. Sunday. The call came from an individual who later said Elkins had shot “everyone inside the home” in the 300 block of West 79th Street. Minutes later, authorities received another call from a second location from a woman who said that her boyfriend, Elkins, had shot her and taken her children in the 500 block of Harrison Street. Smith said Elkins then committed a carjacking, and that police began to engage with him in gunfire. Elkins was pronounced dead during the 7 a.m. hour.
City council member Tabatha Taylor said Elkins was the father of seven of the children. Three mothers lost children in the shooting, she said. Councilman Grayson Boucher called domestic violence a “true epidemic” in Shreveport. Addressing it must be a top priority, she warned.
During the press conference, Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. reiterated that his office recently announced the opening of the domestic violence unit.
“Domestic violence is not a private issue,” Whitehorn said. “It’s not a family issue. It is a community issue. And when we fail to respond in a coordinated, consistent, and compassionate way, people die.
“This tragedy is a painful reminder that we can not afford to work in silos. … We cannot wait until the next crisis. … We must ensure that every victim, every mother, every father, every child has access to safety, support, and intervention before the violence escalates. Let this tragedy move us from conversation to coordination, from awareness to action, and from reaction to prevention.”
Shreveport City Councilman James Green told reporters that a prayer vigil has been set for 6 p.m. local time on Monday near Linwood Avenue and West 79th Street.
“We continue to keep those impacted as the center of our thoughts and prayers,” Green said. “But I believe we can make it through.”
Elkins worked for the United Parcel Service. Court records show he previously pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and served probation in 2019, according to USA Today.
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He had previously served in the Louisiana National Guard from 2013 to 2020 as a signal support system specialist and a fire support specialist.
The suspect’s relatives told the New York Times that he was struggling with mental health problems and was torn up that his wife wanted a divorce.