Eight Children Dead in Shreveport: A Community Left Heartbroken

A quiet Sunday morning in Shreveport, Louisiana turned into one of the darkest days in the city’s history when a father opened fire on his own children, leaving eight dead and a community struggling to make sense of the unimaginable.

The shooter, identified as Shamar Elkins, 31, killed seven of his own children and one of their cousins in what police described as an execution-style attack. The children — five girls and three boys — ranged in age from 3 to 11 years old.

The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and Braylon Snow, 5.

Police said the attacks began before sunrise when Elkins shot a woman at one home, then drove to a second location where the children were killed. One child was found dead on the roof after apparently trying to escape. Another jumped from the roof and survived. Two women, including Elkins’ wife, were also shot and critically wounded.

Elkins fled the scene, carjacked a vehicle at gunpoint, and was killed by police following a pursuit into neighboring Bossier Parish.

Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux called it “maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport.”

Just two weeks before the shooting, Elkins posted a photo with his children on Facebook after attending an Easter church service, writing that it had been a blessed day.

There are no words adequate for what Shreveport is carrying right now. Eight children who had their whole lives ahead of them are gone.