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Police have identified the gunman who killed eight children in Louisiana in the deadliest US mass shooting since 2024
- On Sunday, April 19, 2026, 31-year-old Army veteran Shamar Elkins shot and killed eight children across multiple Shreveport, Louisiana homes in a domestic attack. Elkins died following a police pursuit and officer-involved shooting in neighboring Bossier City.
- Authorities described the incident as a domestic disturbance stemming from Elkins' separation from his wife. Family members said he had recently struggled with mental health and expressed suicidal thoughts, telling relatives on Easter he was "drowning in dark thoughts."
- Seven of the eight children killed were Elkins' own, with the eighth being a cousin, according to the Caddo Parish Coroner's Office. Two adult women, including his wife, were critically wounded but survived the attack.
- Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux called the event a "tragic situation," describing it as perhaps the worst in the city's history. Officials began providing counseling services to affected schools, first responders, and grieving families.
- Investigators are probing how Elkins obtained the weapon despite a 2019 conviction for illegal use of firearms, raising questions about enforcement of weapons prohibitions. The attack marks the deadliest U.S. mass shooting since January 2024.
462 Articles
462 Articles
Family Of Shreveport Mass Shooting Suspect Says Signs Were Present Before Incident
Source: Brandon Bell / Getty – Shreveport Mass Shooting – The Pugh and Elkins families gather while grieving the death of family members on April 19, 2026 in Shreveport, Louisiana. More details are continuing to emerge following the devastating mass shooting in Shreveport on April 19 that left eight children dead. As previously reported, authorities have identified the gunman as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, and according to family members, Elkins …
ATF investigating how Louisiana gunman who killed eight got his weapon
Police in Louisiana are trying to figure out how a man with a prior illegal firearms conviction got a gun and used it to kill eight children on Sunday morning. Officials say 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, a former National Guard member, shot 10 people on Sunday, killing eight children between the ages of 3 and 11, and injuring two women. He was later killed in a shootout with police. Seven of the children killed were his. The eighth was a relative.…
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