Man Kills Seven of His Children and a Nephew in Shreveport Domestic Attack

Shamar Elkins, 31, shot and killed eight children - seven of his own and a nephew - at two homes in Shreveport, Louisiana, on the morning of April 19, 2026, in what authorities described as a domestic violence incident rooted in a deteriorating family situation.

The children were three boys and five girls, ranging in age from 3 to 11 years old. Their names, confirmed by the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office, include Sariahh Snow, 11, Khedarrion Snow, 6, and Braylon Snow, 5, along with their siblings and a cousin who was also killed.

Elkins also shot two women - his wife and another woman believed to be the mother of some of the children. Both were critically wounded but reported Monday to be showing signs of survival. Neither has been publicly named.

A Family on the Edge of Separation

According to a relative of one of the women who was shot, Elkins and his wife had been in the process of separating and were due in family court the morning of the shooting. The couple had reportedly been arguing over the separation in the days leading up to the attack.

Police say Elkins first shot a woman at one address on Harrison Street before traveling a few blocks to West 79th Street, where all eight children were killed. A person escaped by jumping from the roof of the home and survived.

After the shooting, Elkins fled the scene and carjacked a vehicle at gunpoint. Officers from Shreveport and neighboring Bossier Parish pursued him until the chase ended with officers discharging their firearms. Elkins died from gunshot wounds. Louisiana State Police are investigating the officers’ use of force.

A Scene Unlike Anything Officers Had Seen

Shreveport Police spokesperson Chris Bordelon described what officers encountered as “an extensive scene, unlike anything most of us have ever seen.” Police Chief Wayne Smith echoed that sentiment at a press conference, saying he could not begin to imagine how such an event had occurred.

City Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor, who spoke with the victims’ families Sunday, said they were asking for time to grieve. “This is a difficult, difficult process,” Taylor said. “What they are trying to do is wrap their mind around what has occurred in their family.”

Mayor Tom Arceneaux called it “maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport.” He urged the community to come together in support of the children’s surviving relatives.

Prior Criminal History

CNN reporting confirmed that Elkins had at least two prior criminal convictions in Caddo District Court. In 2019, he was arrested on charges of illegal use of weapons and carrying a firearm near a school property after an altercation involving a handgun. He had also been convicted of driving while intoxicated in 2016.

Elkins had served in the Louisiana Army National Guard as a signal and fire support specialist and was discharged as a private in 2020. He was never deployed.

The Epidemic No One Wants to Name

On Monday, Shreveport city leaders gathered to address what Councilwoman Taylor and another councilmember called a domestic violence epidemic in the city. Officials noted that the deaths of the eight children marked the 8th through 15th homicides recorded in Shreveport in 2026.

Governor Jeff Landry issued a statement of condolence, saying he and his wife were “heartbroken” by the tragedy. Louisiana’s congressional delegation also responded publicly, with Congressman Cleo Fields calling for the community to receive support and resources in the days ahead.

The Shreveport shooting is now the deadliest in the United States since a 2024 attack in a Chicago suburb, according to CNN.

Eight Lives, Remembered

The children killed left behind mothers who survived, grandparents still in shock, and a community struggling to make sense of what happened before most of Shreveport had woken up for the day.

“This is an extensive scene, unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” Bordelon said Sunday morning, standing outside the block on West 79th Street where seven of the eight children were killed. The statement was quiet, but it said enough.

Their names are now known. They ranged in age from 3 to 11. They were someone’s babies, and they did not make it to Monday.

References: Louisiana gunman killed 8 children, including 7 of his own | 8 children killed in mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana