Shamar Elkins Kills Eight Children and Shoots Two Women in Shreveport, Louisiana

A man identified as Shamar Elkins killed eight children and shot two adult women in an early morning domestic violence incident in Shreveport, Louisiana, before he was fatally shot by officers after a carjacking and police pursuit into Bossier City.

Shreveport Police Cpl. Chris Bordelon told the Associated Press that the children who died ranged in age from 1 to 12, while police earlier said the ages ranged from 1 to 14.

ABC News

CNN reported that Bordelon said the gunman was fatally shot by officers after carjacking a vehicle and leading police on a chase into the next parish, and Louisiana State Police were investigating the officer-involved shooting.

NBC News said officers responded to the 300 block of West 79th Street just after 6 a.m. following reports of a domestic disturbance, and Bordelon described the crime scene as “extensive.”

NBC News also reported that the gunman first shot a woman on nearby Harrison Street before he headed to a home on West 79th Street, where he killed all the children.

The Associated Press said the attacks began before sunrise in a neighborhood south of downtown Shreveport when the suspect shot a woman at one home and then drove to the other location “where this heinous act was carried out.”

Multiple outlets described the scene as spanning multiple locations, with ABC News saying police were investigating a “very large scene with four specific locations” and that officers determined it was a domestic call in nature.

Authorities described the victims as children killed across two homes, with Shreveport Police spokesperson Christopher Bordelon saying seven of the eight children were Elkins’ and that the children ranged in age from 1 to about 12 years old, while other reporting put the range up to 14.

NBC News said the children killed were 18 months to 12 years old, and it reported that seven of the eight children who were killed were his, with the eighth found dead on a back roof.

ABC News

The Associated Press said seven children were killed inside the second house, and one was found dead on the roof after apparently trying to escape, and it quoted state Rep. Tammy Phelps saying some children tried to get away through the back door.

ABC News 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.”

CNN reported that Bordelon told the Associated Press that the children ranged in age from 1 to 12, and it also said police earlier the ages ranged from 1 to 14.

KSLA reported that Elkins was the father of seven of the eight children he reportedly shot and killed, and it said a ninth child, a 13-year-old boy, reportedly jumped off the roof of the home and was able to get away.

The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate said some of the children killed were shot execution style by their own father, and it described the shooting as beginning at W. 79th Street and spanning other houses.

Across the accounts, adults wounded included Elkins’ wife and another woman believed to be his girlfriend, with CNN saying the mother of the children had ” very serious injuries” and the other woman has “life threatening injuries,” while NBC News said one wounded woman was shot in the face and was alive Sunday.

Investigators and police officials repeatedly characterized the incident as domestic in nature while saying they were still working to determine what set it off.

CNN quoted Shreveport Police Cpl. Chris Bordelon saying, “We are still working to determine a complete motive and understanding as to why this happened, but it is domestic in nature,” and it added that Louisiana State Police were investigating the officer-involved shooting.

NBC News similarly described authorities saying the shooting was a domestic violence incident and said investigators were still investigating why Elkins would have carried out the shootings, while Bordelon told NBC News, “We know it’s domestic in nature, we know his wife is involved.”

The Associated Press reported that investigators did not say what may have set off the violence, but it said detectives were confident the shooting was “entirely a domestic incident.”

ABC News said Bordelon told reporters that officers determined it was a domestic call in nature, and it described the scene as spanning two residences next door to each other and a third home nearby.

The Associated Press also reported that Bordelon said Elkins had been arrested in 2019 in a firearms case, and that police were not aware of any other domestic violence issues.

KSLA said Elkins’ motive remains unclear at this time, and it described the incident as starting on Harrison Street where Elkins’ wife was shot before Elkins went to W 79th Street near Linwood and shot the second woman and the children.

In the middle of the uncertainty, police and officials emphasized the scale of the scene, with Bordelon telling ABC News that “it’s going to take several hours to process.”

As police processed multiple crime scenes, local leaders and residents described shock and grief, while officials urged patience and prayers.

Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith told reporters, “I just don’t know what to say. My heart is just taken aback,” and he said, “I just cannot begin to imagine how such an event can occur.”

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CNN quoted Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux saying, “It rattles the entire city,” and it also quoted him saying the tragedy reaches “far beyond the scene itself.”

The Associated Press reported that officials appeared stunned at a news conference and requested patience and prayers from the community as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.

ABC News quoted House Speaker Mike Johnson saying, “Heartbreaking tragedy in Shreveport this morning – 8 children were senselessly killed and multiple others were injured,” and it quoted Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry saying he and his wife, Sharon, “are heartbroken over this horrific situation, and we’re praying for everyone affected.”

NBC News reported that Arceneaux said, “This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport,” and it quoted Council Chair Tabatha Taylor saying through tears, “This is the result when someone snaps.”

Residents also described what they saw, with Liza Demming telling the Associated Press that her security camera captured video of the suspect running away along with the sound of two shots, and she said, “That’s pretty much all I saw, was him running out of the house and the cars leaving.”

Pastor Marty T. Johnson Sr. told the Associated Press that he planned “to have a prayer vigil for the family,” and he said, “I don’t really know them, I really don’t.”

In addition to public statements, police and state officials said Louisiana State Police were investigating and were asking anyone with pictures, video or information to share it with state police detectives, while KSLA said SPD counseling/mental health services would be available for officers who responded.

While most accounts agreed on the domestic framing and the overall death toll of eight children, they diverged on specific details such as the children’s age range and whether there was an additional child survivor.

“Louisiana father fatally shoots 7 of his children plus another child in attack at house, police say Louisiana father fatally shoots 7 of his children plus another child in attack at house, police say SHREVEPORT, La”

Associated Press

CNN said police earlier the ages ranged from 1 to 14, while it also reported Bordelon told the Associated Press that the children who died ranged in age from 1 to 12.

Associated Press

ABC News said Bordelon said the ages ranged from an 18-month-old infant to a 14-year-old, and it described the eighth victim as found dead outside and “looked like he had tried to escape the residence out the back on the roof.”

KSLA added a separate account that “a ninth child, a 13-year-old boy, reportedly jumped off the roof of the home and was able to get away,” and it said he had some broken bones but should be okay physically.

Another divergence appeared in how the suspect’s relationship to the victims was described: CNN said the mayor believed the gunman had a relationship with one or both of the women but it was not clear, while NBC News said the wife was the mother of at least seven of the children and the eighth was a family friend.

The Associated Press said investigators were confident the shooting was “entirely a domestic incident,” but it also said investigators did not say what may have set off the violence.

In terms of investigative process, ABC News said Bordelon told reporters that “Investigators are working to process the scene and gather further information,” and it said the crime scene spanned two residences and a third home nearby.

Louisiana State Police said their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate, and state police said no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit into Bossier City.

Police also said they had not released the names of the victims, and the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office released a statement saying it was not yet releasing any of the children’s names because identification of the victims was pending.

Looking ahead, officials said the investigation into the shooting continues, and Shreveport police said they were using all the resources it can to investigate to determine “exactly what took place,” while KSLA said state police were asking anyone with pictures, video, or information to share it with state police detectives.