8 Children Killed in Shreveport Mass Shooting as Father Opens Fire Across Three Homes

Eight children were shot and killed Sunday morning in Shreveport, Louisiana, in what authorities described as a domestic rampage across three separate homes, making it the deadliest mass shooting in the United States since January 2024. Police identified the suspect as Shamar Elkins, 31, who opened fire on the children before leading officers on a vehicle chase into neighboring Bossier Parish, where he was shot and killed by law enforcement. The shooting began around 6 a.m. local time, when Elkins is alleged to have first shot his wife — who survived with serious injuries — before moving through multiple residences and killing eight children, seven of whom were his own.

The eight victims, whose names were released by police Sunday afternoon, were identified as Jayla Elkins, 3; Braylon Snow, 5; Shayla Elkins, 5; Khedarrion Snow, 6; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; and Sariahh Snow, 11. A 13-year-old boy escaped by jumping from a second-story window, breaking bones but surviving. A second adult woman, the mother of one of the victims, was also shot and hospitalized in critical condition. Shreveport Police Department Chief Wayne Smith confirmed that none of the children had any way to defend themselves and that Elkins targeted them systematically before fleeing.

Elkins had a 2019 arrest for a firearms-related offense and served in the Louisiana Army National Guard for seven years, leaving in August 2020. Investigators said he showed no outward signs of immediate danger before Sunday's attack, though neighbors and family members described a history of domestic tension. Following the shootings, he carjacked a vehicle and fled toward Bossier City, where he was cornered and shot by Bossier Parish Sheriff's deputies after refusing to comply with commands. No law enforcement officers were injured during the pursuit.

Shreverport Mayor Tom Arceneaux called the attack "maybe the worst" tragedy in the city's modern history, saying he was "devastated" and asking for prayers for the victims' families. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry issued a statement of condolences and directed state resources to support the families of the victims. President Trump posted on Truth Social expressing condolences to the city and pledging support for state law enforcement. The White House was briefed on the attack by mid-morning Sunday.

The killings mark the nation's deadliest mass shooting since the January 2024 Kansas City Chiefs victory parade attack and have reignited calls by Democrats for federal gun control legislation, though Republican leaders in both chambers signaled Sunday that no new legislation was imminent. Advocates noted that at least 114 mass shootings had been recorded in the United States in 2026 before the Shreveport attack. More than 30 percent of homicides in Shreveport in recent years have been classified as domestic-related, according to the city's own crime data, and advocates for domestic violence services said Sunday that the attack underscored what they described as a chronic underfunding of prevention and intervention programs.