Police said the children were found at one house after an early morning attack that began at another nearby home.
SHREVEPORT, La. — A 31-year-old man killed eight children, including seven of his own, in a Sunday morning shooting that unfolded across two homes in a Shreveport neighborhood before he died after a police pursuit, authorities said.
The violence stunned city leaders and left two women critically wounded, including the gunman’s wife, police said. Investigators described the case as a domestic incident and said the children, all found at the same house, were between 3 and 11 years old. The killings made it the deadliest mass shooting in the United States in more than two years and brought a rush of officers, elected officials and grieving relatives to the neighborhood south of downtown.
Police said the attack began before sunrise at one home, where a woman was shot. Authorities said the suspect then drove to a second house nearby, where the deadliest part of the attack unfolded. Seven children were found dead inside that home, and an eighth child was found on the roof after apparently trying to escape. Another child survived after jumping from the roof and was taken to a hospital. Shreveport police spokesperson Chris Bordelon said officers later chased the suspect, identified as Shamar Elkins, and the pursuit ended when police opened fire. Police Chief Wayne Smith, speaking as investigators worked through the scene, said the scale of the violence was hard to grasp.
Officials said the eight victims were three boys and five girls. Two women were shot and critically injured. One was Elkins’ wife, who was the mother of some of the children, according to police and relatives. Crystal Brown, a cousin of one of the wounded women, said Elkins and his wife were separating and had been expected in court Monday. Brown said the couple had been arguing about the split before the shooting and said all of the children were together at one house. She said Elkins had four children with his wife and three with another woman who lived nearby and was also wounded. Police said they knew Elkins from a 2019 firearms case but were not aware of prior domestic violence problems. Investigators did not publicly identify a motive Sunday.
The shootings left a broad stretch of northwest Louisiana in shock. Shreveport, a city of about 180,000 people, has seen deadly violence before, but officials said this case stood apart because of the number of children killed and the family ties at the center of it. At the scene, law enforcement and local leaders moved between two homes while officers marked evidence and blocked off streets. State Rep. Tammy Phelps said some children appeared to have tried to flee through the back door. A nearby pastor, Marty T. Johnson Sr., said one of the homes involved was owned by him and rented to the family through someone who worked for him. He said he had not personally dealt with the family before the attack.
By Sunday afternoon, investigators were still sorting through multiple crime scenes, interviewing witnesses and notifying relatives. The district attorney’s office said the shootings began as a domestic dispute and ended in irreversible harm. Because the suspect died after the chase, any criminal case against him ended there, but police still had major investigative steps ahead, including final evidence review, witness interviews and autopsy work through the coroner’s office. Officials had not released the names of the children by Sunday evening. Authorities also had not said exactly how long the shootings lasted, what weapon or weapons were used, or whether court records connected to the reported separation would add detail to the timeline.
As the day went on, the neighborhood shifted from confusion to mourning. Residents gathered near the house on 79th Street, where flowers began to appear outside. One neighbor, Liza Demming, said her security camera captured the suspect running away and the sound of gunfire. Later, she stepped outside and saw the covered body of a child on the roof. Across the area, people embraced in driveways and parking lots as officials asked for patience. Mayor Tom Arceneaux called it maybe the worst tragedy the city had ever faced. At a prayer vigil later that night, mourners lit candles and stood in silence while others cried, prayed and held one another.
By late Sunday, investigators were still processing the two homes, two women remained in critical condition, and the city was waiting for the children’s identities to be released as the next phase of the case moved to autopsies, records review and family notifications.
Author note: Last updated April 20, 2026.