Police investigation continues into Shamar Elkins, the father who fatally shot eight children in a 68‑minute massacre in Shreveport, Louisiana, early Sunday, Apr. 19, 2026.
Elkins, a 31‑year‑old former member of the Louisiana Army National Guard, allegedly killed seven of his own children and one cousin, all aged between 3 and 11, in a coordinated attack that spanned multiple homes and a high‑speed car chase.
The victims were identified 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, according to ABC News.
Police say the shootings began about 5:55 a.m. in the Cedar Grove neighborhood when officers received a 911 call from a woman on the roof of a residence on West 79th Street, reporting that a man inside had shot everyone in the house.
Witnesses told dispatchers that Elkins shot several people at the West 79th Street home, where all eight children were later found dead, some near windows and on the roof as they tried to escape.
A 13‑year‑old was injured when they jumped from the roof but is expected to recover. Officers arriving just after 6 a.m. found the house empty except for the children's bodies, and the scene was treated as an execution‑style attack rather than a random shooting.
At the same time, police were alerted to a separate shooting at a home on Harrison Street, where Elkins wounded his girlfriend or former partner and fled with her three children taken from that residence.
That victim was found later in the Harrison Street house with gunshot wounds and remains hospitalized in critical condition. Investigators have linked the two shootings, treating the case as a single domestic violence incident in which Elkins targeted relatives and children known to him.
Elkins then allegedly carjacked a red Kia Sportage near the West 79th Street home and drove south on Interstate‑49 toward Bossier City, with police reporting that officers saw him cross the Red River bridge and continue the pursuit.
At about 6:29 a.m., officers reported an exchange of gunfire with Elkins on Brompton Lane in Bossier City, and the suspect's vehicle was later found empty with no children inside, ABC30 reported.
Elkins was pronounced dead at the scene on Brompton Lane at 7:03 a.m., and authorities have not yet publicly confirmed whether he died from police gunfire or from a self‑inflicted gunshot.
Investigators are now focused on reconstructing his exact movements, the sequence of shots, and the motive behind the 68‑minute rampage, which began as a domestic dispute and escalated into multiple shootings and a carjacking.
Police say they are reviewing video from homes, businesses, and traffic cameras, along with forensic evidence and digital records from Elkins' devices and those of the victims. Relatives of the victims have told local media that Elkins and at least one of the women had recently separated and were scheduled to appear in court, a detail investigators are examining as part of the domestic‑violence angle.
Local and state officials have pledged full cooperation with law enforcement and victim‑support agencies, while a foundation backed by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has offered to cover the funeral expenses for all eight children.
The Shreveport Police Department and the Louisiana State Police continue to treat the case as active, with no plans yet to release the children's autopsies or firearms‑trace results to the public, as per CBS News.
