Man Is Charged With Providing Gun to Louisiana Shooter
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- Charles Ford of Shreveport, Louisiana, was arrested for allegedly providing the firearm used by Shamar Elkins in a mass shooting that killed eight children and critically wounded two adults.
- Elkins, the father of seven of the slain children, carried out the attack across multiple locations in Shreveport before dying in a police confrontation; the exact cause of his death remains unclear.
- The shooting left the community and officials, including Mayor Tom Arceneaux, deeply shaken, with the mayor calling it possibly the worst tragedy the city has faced.
- Police have not disclosed a motive and are investigating how Elkins obtained a firearm despite a prior weapons conviction in 2019.
- Ford faces charges of possessing a firearm as a felon and making false statements to federal agents regarding the weapon used in the shootings.
