Authorities said the suspect, the father of seven of the children, was later killed after a police chase into neighboring Bossier Parish.
SHREVEPORT, LA — A Louisiana father shot and killed eight children, including seven of his own, in a domestic violence attack that began before sunrise Sunday at two homes in a Shreveport neighborhood, then died after a police pursuit that ended with officers firing on his vehicle, authorities said.
Police identified the suspect as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins. Investigators said the attack wounded two women, including Elkins’ wife, and unfolded across multiple crime scenes south of downtown Shreveport. The children were found at one house, and officers said one child was discovered dead on the roof after what appeared to be an attempt to escape. The killings left city leaders calling the case one of the worst tragedies in Shreveport’s recent history and set off a broad investigation into the shootings, the police chase and the hours leading up to the violence.
Shreveport police said the violence started shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday when Elkins shot a woman at one home, then went to a nearby house where the children had gathered. Police spokesperson Chris Bordelon said seven children were found dead inside that home and an eighth was found on the roof. Another child survived after jumping from the roof and was taken to a hospital. Officers have said the children killed were between 3 and 11 years old, though some early public accounts gave a slightly wider age range while officials worked to identify every victim. Police Chief Wayne Smith, speaking at a news conference outside one of the homes, said the scene stunned veteran officers. “I just don’t know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Smith said. He added that he could not begin to imagine how the attack happened. Yellow police tape sealed off the block as investigators moved between the houses and marked evidence in the street.
Authorities said 10 people in all were shot. Two women were hospitalized with critical or life-threatening injuries. One of them was identified by police as the mother of several of the children. Family members told reporters that Elkins and his wife were separating and had been arguing over the breakup before the shooting. A cousin of one of the wounded women said the couple had been due in court Monday. Police have not released a formal motive, but Bordelon said detectives were confident the case was “entirely a domestic incident.” He said the children were all killed at the same house even though the shootings began at another nearby address. The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office later said the victims were three boys and five girls. Local television reports, citing the coroner, identified the children by name as Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Khedarrion Snow, 6; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; and Braylon Snow, 5. Police had not publicly explained by Monday how all of the children came to be at the same home or whether anyone besides the surviving child witnessed the full attack.
The shootings unfolded in the Cedar Grove area, a neighborhood south of downtown Shreveport where residents said children often played outside and neighbors knew one another by sight. Liza Demming, who lives two houses away, said her security camera caught the sound of gunfire and showed a man running from the home. “That’s pretty much all I saw, was him running out of the house and the cars leaving,” Demming said. Later, she stepped outside and saw the body of a child on the roof, a sight that became one of the most haunting details to emerge from the day. Pastor Marty T. Johnson Sr., whose church owns one of the properties involved, said a worker had rented the home to the family, but he did not know them personally. By Sunday evening, mourners had gathered near the scene for prayer and a vigil. Elected officials, clergy and volunteers embraced relatives near the police line while stuffed animals, candles and flowers began to appear along the street. The grief was immediate and public, with officials asking for patience as officers worked through one of the most devastating crime scenes the city has faced.
After the shootings, authorities said Elkins fled, carjacked a vehicle and drove out of Shreveport. Police chased him into neighboring Bossier Parish, where officers fired at the vehicle and Elkins died. Officials have not said whether he was killed solely by police gunfire or whether any self-inflicted wound may have been involved. Louisiana State Police said it would investigate the officer-involved shooting, which is standard in such cases. Shreveport police are separately investigating the killings of the children and the shootings of the two women. Bordelon said police knew Elkins from a 2019 firearms case, but he said investigators were not aware of prior domestic violence cases involving him. That left several major questions unanswered by late Sunday and early Monday, including what warning signs may have existed, whether any protective orders had been sought, what kind of firearm was used and exactly how the attack moved from one house to the next. Officials also had not said when the surviving child might be well enough to speak with investigators in detail or when the two wounded women might be able to provide fuller accounts.
Mayor Tom Arceneaux said the city was confronting a level of loss hard to describe. He called it possibly the worst tragedy in Shreveport’s history. State Sen. Sam Jenkins said the case underscored the damage domestic violence can do when it escalates unchecked. State Rep. Tammy Phelps, standing near the scene, said some children appeared to have tried to run out the back door. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Shreveport native, and Gov. Jeff Landry both issued statements of sympathy as news of the killings spread across Louisiana and beyond. For Shreveport officers, firefighters, medics and hospital workers, the day became a long sequence of emergency calls, interviews and notifications to relatives. For neighbors, it became a day measured by sirens, tape lines and stunned silence. For family members, it became a day of identifying the dead, praying for the wounded and trying to explain an act that police themselves said defied easy explanation. By Monday, the city was waiting for more updates from investigators, the coroner and state police, while church leaders and community groups prepared more vigils and support efforts for relatives of the children.
As of Monday, investigators were still piecing together the exact timeline, and Louisiana State Police had not announced when it would release more details about the chase and shooting in Bossier Parish. Local officials said the next major milestones would include formal investigative updates, additional information on the wounded women and any release of records tied to the family’s pending court matter.
Author note: Last updated April 20, 2026.