Authorities in Louisiana identified the man accused of carrying out a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, that killed eight children, including seven of his own.
Shreveport officials say Shamar Elkins launched the April 19 attack before dawn and described the shooting as an act of domestic violence. The children were ages 3 to 11, according to the Caddo Parish Coroner's Office. (Authorities initially released a different age range for the victims.)
Elkins also shot the mother of his children and another woman, both of whom suffered serious injuries, said Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Christopher Bordelon. After the attack, Elkins stole a car at gunpoint before he was chased and shot dead by police, authorities say.
Officials have not said what led to the shooting, but described it as a "tragic domestic violence incident." Elkins, who has a limited criminal history and served in the Louisiana Army National Guard, is believed to be the only suspect involved.
People are also reading…
Police officers secure a street where eight children, with ages ranging from 3 to 11, were killed in a mass shooting in Shreveport, La., on April 19, in a still image from video.
Here's what we know about the suspected gunman.
What we know about Shamar Elkins
Court records show Elkins previously pled guilty to a weapons charge and served probation in 2019.
Elkins served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from 2013 to 2020, serving as a signal system specialist and a fire support specialist, an Army official told USA Today. Elkins was never deployed and left the Army as a private.
A Facebook account tied to Elkins included multiple images of his children, including one posted to social media two days before the shooting spree. Another post showed Elkins posing for a photo with seven children on Easter Sunday.
"Happy Easter had a wonderful time at church for the first time with all my kids what a blessed day," the caption said.
Community members come out to show support for the deadly shooting of eight children in the Cedar Grove neighborhood of Shreveport, Louisiana, on April 19.
Neighbor believes he saw Elkins a day before the shooting
Freddie Montgomery, who lives across the street from where the shooting occurred, said he believes he saw Elkins a day before the attack.
“Just yesterday afternoon, about this time, the possible person that did this thing was sitting on the porch and I waved at him yesterday. He waved at me,” Montgomery told the Shreveport Times, part of the USA Today Network, adding: “All the kids were playing in the yard.”
On the morning of April 19, Montgomery said he heard a loud voice outside and saw Shreveport officers entering his neighbor’s house across the street. At the time, he was ironing the clothes he planned to wear to church.
"That's when I knew something was wrong," he said.
