Louisiana authorities have identified the eight children killed in a mass shooting in Shreveport on Sunday, described by police as a 'violent domestic incident'. The victims, aged three to 11, were fatally shot by 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, who then stole a car and was shot dead by police after a chase.
The Caddo parish coroner's office named the children as Jayla Elkins, three; Shayla Elkins, five; Kayla Pugh, six; Layla Pugh, six; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, six; and Braylon Snow, five. Seven of the children were Elkins's own.
Police spokesperson Christopher Bordelon said 11 people were shot in total, including two women: Shaneiqua Pugh, Elkins's wife and mother of four of his children, and another woman, mother of his three other children. Elkins and Pugh had been arguing about their separation and were due in court on Monday.
Bordelon stated the shooting was 'entirely a domestic' case. Elkins had been arrested in 2019 for a firearms offence, but police were unaware of any prior domestic violence issues. He served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from 2013 to 2020 and later worked for UPS.
Relatives said Elkins was stressed about his relationship and had expressed suicidal thoughts. His stepfather Marcus Jackson recalled Elkins saying, 'Some people don't come back from their demons.' The shooting is the deadliest US mass shooting since January 2024.
