Shreveport, a city of almost 200,000 inhabitants in northwest Louisiana, remains in a state of shock. This Sunday morning, Shamar Elkins, 31, coldly murdered seven of his children and a nephew. He shot them at point-blank range. The victims were between three and 11 years old. Elkins also shot two women, one of them his wife, who was taken to the hospital seriously injured. The assailant died from police gunfire while trying to flee in a stolen car. This is the most serious mass shooting in the United States in the last two years.
Read more Sheinbaum receives the U.S. trade representative, Jamieson Greer, on the eve of the USMCA review
The tragic episode has shaken the country due to the age of the victims and the nature of the event: a father killing seven of his children. The residents of Shreveport, which once served as the capital of Louisiana, are devastated; the city is in mourning for one of the most serious events in its history. On Sunday night and Monday, they organized vigils and laid flowers and candles alongside prayer notes at the site where the children were murdered.
Police have not revealed the motive for the events and the investigation continues, while questions accumulate about a tragedy that no one can explain. “This is an unfortunate situation, perhaps the worst tragic situation we have ever had in Shreveport,” said Mayor Tom Arceneaux during a press conference on Sunday.
Elkins had mental health problems and had expressed suicidal thoughts, according to some relatives interviewed by The New York Times. A couple of weeks ago, he called his mother, with whom he had reconnected a few years prior. She had him when she was very young and had to leave him with a friend because she was struggling with drug problems. His mother revealed to the Times that her son sounded dejected. Apparently, her son broke down crying and told her he wanted to take his own life because he was overwhelmed by the divorce from his wife and burdened with “dark thoughts.”
The man worked at UPS, a shipping company, and had been married to his wife for two years, but things were not going well, and she had expressed her intention to file for divorce.
Shreveport police officer Chris Bordelon, acting as department spokesperson, recounted the events. Shamar Elkins was going through a difficult time, exhibiting erratic behavior, was on the verge of separating from his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh, and could not cope. Around five in the morning on Sunday, he showed up at his partner’s house, in a residence on Harrison Street in Shreveport. He shot his wife several times. He then went to another nearby residence, where the children were. He opened fire on the eight children; seven of them were his own. The youngest was barely three years old. He also shot another adult woman who was with them. Police revealed that she was the mother of the eighth child murdered, the assailant’s nephew. She is hospitalized with “life-threatening injuries,” Bordelon told KSLA.
The coroner’s office identified the children as Jayla, three years old; Shayla, five years old; Kayla, six years old; Layla, seven years old; Markaydon, 10 years old; Sariahh, 11 years old; Khedarrion, six years old; and Braylon, five years old.
The crime scene unfolded across three residences. The first where he shot his wife, another where he murdered the eight children, and the third, which the police have not yet specified.
During the shooting, some children tried to escape through the back door; others attempted to flee via the roof. Police found the body of one of the minors on the top of the house, according to the account of state representative Tammy Phelps, reported by CNN. Another child, 13, managed to reach the building’s roof and, in his desperate escape, jumped. Although he broke several bones in one leg, he managed to survive. “We are very grateful that he was able to escape,” said the police spokesperson.
After ending the lives of the eight children, Elkins ran towards a local tire shop, where he stole a car and fled. Police initiated a pursuit through the nearby city of Bossier. Three officers shot the assailant, who died as a result of gunshot wounds.
Gun Violence Archive, a portal that collects violence statistics in the United States, estimates that 117 mass shootings have occurred in the country so far this year. This platform considers a mass shooting to be one in which four or more people are wounded by gunfire, not including the attacker. The organization has recorded 3,758 firearm deaths so far this year. Of these, 66 were children under 11 years old and another 243 were teenagers between 12 and 17 years old.
The Shreveport police officer stated that Elkins had a criminal record. He was arrested in 2019 for a firearms-related case. According to police, he fired five shots at a car that allegedly threatened him with a gun. The shooting occurred near a garden where children usually play, officers warned. He was previously convicted of drunk driving in 2016.
The assailant served in the Louisiana Army National Guard for seven years, until August 2020, according to the United States Army.