Shreveport, Louisiana shooting victims named by officials
Key Points:
- On Sunday morning in Shreveport, Louisiana, Shamar Elkins allegedly killed eight children aged 3 to 11, seven of whom were his own, in a domestic shooting before dying in a police confrontation; two adult women and a teenager were also wounded.
- The violent incident began with a shooting on Harrison Street, followed by the killings at a home on West 79th Street; Elkins then carjacked a vehicle and led police on a pursuit into Bossier Parish before being fatally shot by officers.
- Police described the shooting as a domestic incident linked to Elkins' separation from his wife, with no prior known domestic violence history but a 2019 firearms arrest on record; Elkins had served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from 2013 to 2020.
- Some children attempted to escape the shooting by fleeing to the roof and backyard, with one child found dead on the roof and another surviving after jumping off; authorities continue to investigate and seek information from the public.
- The Louisiana State Police are handling the officer-involved shooting investigation, while Shreveport police focus on the killings, emphasizing the tragedy as one of the worst in the city's history.