The Louisiana community is mourning the loss of 8 children who were victims of a mass shooting in Shreveport on Sunday, April 19, 2026.
A tragic mass shooting shocked the Shreveport community Sunday morning when a gunman opened fire and killed eight children ages 3 to 11.
This latest incident constitutes the deadliest mass shooting in more than two years.
Louisiana police identified the shooter as Shamar Elkins, 31, who shot and killed his seven children and a cousin.
The shooting also left two women injured, including his wife, before the first light of dawn, during a rampage in at least two places.
After the shooting, which authorities described as “homicidal in nature,” the shooter fled the scene in a hijacked vehicle.
Following a police chase, the suspect was shot and killed by police during an exchange of fire.
The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office confirmed the identities of the victims.
They include Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11 years old; Khedarrion Neige, 6 years old; and Braylon Neige, 5 years old.
Who was the shooter?
Shamar Elkins spent seven years in the Louisiana National Guard. From August 2013 to August 2020, as a signal support system expert and fire support specialist, according to CNN.
Elkins never served and left the military in 2020, and his rank at the time of his departure was EI (private).
The outlet also reported on Elkins’ criminal record, as he had two prior criminal convictions in Caddo District Court.
According to court records, Elkins married Shaneiqua Pugh, 34, about two years ago.
According to New York TimesElkins had a difficult home life and a strained relationship with his wife.
In a separate report from P.A.which noted that the couple was in the middle of a separation and had had a heated argument moments before the shooting.
This shooting is considered the deadliest in the United States since January 2024, when a 23-year-old man shot and killed eight people, most of them his relatives, in a Chicago suburb.
