In a horrific tragedy that unfolded on Sunday morning, a man shot dead seven of his own children and another child in Louisiana, US, on Sunday. A ninth child is reported to have jumped from the roof and is in hospital. The suspect, Shamar Elkins, 31, was later shot dead by police while trying to escape in a stolen vehicle, according to NBC News.
Two women, who also suffered gunshot wounds, are reported to be in a critical condition in hospital. They include the gunman's wife, who was the mother of four of his children, according to spokesperson Chris Bordelon from the Shreveport Police Department. Authorities said all the children, who were killed in one home, were between one and 13 years old.
Officials are yet to establish what triggered the violence, but investigators suspect it stemmed from a domestic situation.
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Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill posted on X, “Multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating this tragic situation.”
Multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating this tragic situation. We do not yet know all the details, but I am deeply saddened by the senseless loss of life. I'm praying for the victims and their family members in the wake of this devastating violence.… pic.twitter.com/yIPmszgK1A
— Attorney General Liz Murrill (@AGLizMurrill) April 19, 2026
The suspect and his wife were amid a separation and due in court on Monday, said Crystal Brown, who is related to one of the wounded women. She added that tensions over the separation had led to arguments before the attack.
Brown said Elkins shared four children with his wife and another three with a woman who lived nearby and who was also shot. All the children were together in a single house, she said.
It is the most lethal mass shooting recorded in the United States for more than two years.
“I just don't know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
Bordelon said Elkins had a prior encounter with police stemming from a 2019 firearms arrest, but authorities were unaware of any past domestic violence allegations.
According to police, the incident began before sunrise in a neighbourhood south of central Shreveport, when the suspect shot a woman at one residence and then drove to another site, “where this heinous act was carried out”.
Bordelon said seven children were killed inside the second house, with another found dead on the roof, believed to have been trying to escape. One more child jumped from the roof and is expected to recover after being hospitalised.
Officials at the Caddo Parish Coroner's Office said the eight victims included three boys and five girls.
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