8 children fatally shot in Louisiana domestic violence incident: Police
Eight children were found fatally shot early Sunday in a home in Shreveport, La., after police investigated what they said was a domestic violence call, according to authorities.
The incident happened around 6 a.m. local time in the Cedar Grove neighborhood of South Shreveport, according to Shreveport Police Cpl. Chris Bordelon, who said the suspect, Shamar Elkins, who was the father of seven of the deceased children, was shot and killed after a police chase.
Several other people were also injured in the incident, police said.
Police said the children, siblings and one cousin including three boys and five girls ranging in age from 3 to 11, were identified by their mothers 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.
The gunman, Shamar Elkins, previously served in the Louisiana Army National Guard for seven years, according to an Army official. He never deployed and left the Army as a private in 2020, the official said.
Elkins appeared to post a photo with his children on Facebook.
Bordelon said police were responding to a home in the South Shreveport neighborhood on a report of gunfire. "In doing so, we've determined that this was a domestic call in nature," Bordelon said.
He further said that the crime scene spanned two residences next door to each other and a third home nearby.
"We have three crime scenes just here in Shreveport. One of them is incredibly gruesome in nature and it’s going to take several hours to process," Bordelon said.
Bordelon said seven of the deceased children were found in one of the homes, and that an eighth victim was found dead outside the same residence and "looked like he had tried to escape the residence out the back on the roof."
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in whose district the shooting occurred, said his team is "in touch" with local law enforcement and offered his "thoughts and prayers" for the victims and their families.
"Heartbreaking tragedy in Shreveport this morning – 8 children were senselessly killed and multiple others were injured," Johnson said in a social media post. "We’re holding the victims, their families and loved ones, and our Shreveport community close in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time."
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry also posted a statement on social media, saying he and his wife, Sharon, "are heartbroken over this horrific situation, and we’re praying for everyone affected."
"We’re deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders working tirelessly on the scene," Landry said.
Two other shooting victims, both adults, were found and police suspect they were attacked by the same suspect who killed the children, Bordelon said.
"We do know that some of the children inside were his descendants," Bordelon said.
Bordelon further said that after allegedly committing the killings, the suspect, whose name was not immediately released, carjacked a vehicle in the area.
"Shreveport patrol officers got behind that vehicle and they chased it into Bossier Parish, at which point in time Shreveport officers did discharge their firearms and that individual is deceased," Bordelon said.
Shreveport Tom Arceneaux described the deadly incident as "maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had in Shreveport."
Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said his department is using all the resources it can to investigate the incident to determine "exactly what took place."
“I just don’t know what to say," Smith said. "My heart is just taken aback. I just cannot begin to imagine how such an event can occur."
