Louisiana gunman targeted family, killing eight children in Shreveport attack

A Louisiana father’s grief became the center of a scene that police now describe as a 68-minute family slaughter in Shreveport, where 31-year-old Shamar Elkins was accused of killing eight children and wounding two women before officers shot him dead after a chase in a stolen vehicle.

Authorities said the attack unfolded Sunday, April 19, 2026, across two homes in a domestic disturbance in Shreveport’s Cedar Grove neighborhood. Eleven people were shot in all. Seven of the dead were Elkins’ own children, and the eighth was one of their cousins. The children were reported to be between 3 and 11 years old. Two women were critically wounded, including Elkins’ wife and the mother of the children.

Police released a timeline Monday showing how quickly the violence spread. The first emergency call came just before 6 a.m. from someone on a roof who reported that a suspect inside had already shot someone in the house. From there, investigators said, the incident stretched into a 68-minute massacre before it ended with Elkins dead after a police pursuit.

Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith called the case one of the most difficult incidents the department has ever faced. Officials said the shooting was domestic in nature and that investigators were still working to determine the exact motive. They also said it was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States in more than two years.

The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office later released the names of the children killed, as neighbors gathered for vigils and the community tried to absorb what had happened inside the homes. One father, speaking about a son killed in the attack, told CBS that he will never get to throw the football with his child again.

The killings have put a harsh spotlight on the warning signs that can precede a family-targeted attack and the narrow window authorities sometimes have to intervene. In this case, police said, that window closed only after multiple lives were already lost, leaving two women fighting for survival and a city confronting one of its darkest days.