The latest vigil took place Monday night in Shreveport for the eight children shot and killed Sunday morning in what police characterize as a domestic situation that turned into the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since January 2024.
The suspect, who was the father of seven of the children, died after what police describe as an armed carjacking near the scene of the shootings, followed by a chase with police and an eventual shootout with officers across the Red River into Bossier City.
At a news conference Monday, Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said the suspect, 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, was known to police. “I will say that his name was in fact in our system.”
Sunday afternoon, Shreveport Police Spokesman Christopher Bordelon confirmed that in 2019 Elkins was arrested and later convicted for firing a weapon near Caddo Magnet School while children were outside on school grounds.
After Elkins' felony conviction, he was not authorized to have a gun. Yet police say Elkins allegedly used an assault-style weapon to shoot and kill all eight children, seven inside a house in the 300 block of West 79th Street, and on the roof trying to escape. Police say Elkins also wounded two women, one of whom was his estranged wife and mother of his children.
Her family says Shaneiqua Pugh had left Elkins days before the shooting, while the Associated Press reports Elkins and his wife were in the process of separating and were set to appear in court on Monday, April 20, the day after the shooting, according to cousin Crystal Brown.
Chief Smith says federal officials are investigating how Elkin got the weapon. “And that is a piece of the puzzle that they’re working on to confirm where the weapon came from, it’s origin and its chain throughout its life and how it got to where it was.”
The killings have raised awareness in the community about domestic violence prevention and mental illness, which Elkins’ family has said he has struggled with recently. Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux made an impassioned plea to the public. “If you are experiencing abuse and violence in your home seek the resources. Don’t stay where you are. Seek the resources to escape.”
Just ten days before the shooting, the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office opened a domestic violence unit to address what is often referred to as a silent epidemic of abuse, hidden, experts say, by a veil of shame. While the mayor encouraged immediate action, the new unit’s domestic violence advocate, Deputy Lesley Lacy, encourages those trapped in a cycle of abuse to create an escape plan first if possible, to improve the odds of success.
Deputy Lacy explained, “It can start with how you’re going to get out of the house. Always let someone know, that’s close to you, what’s going on in your home, especially neighbors. If neighbors hear anything they can always call law enforcement.”
During Monday’s news conference, Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn called for a community-wide, unified response to domestic violence and what that would entail. “A response where law enforcement, social workers, social services and the courts communicate in real time.” Whitehorn also encouraged faith communities to stand as safe havens and advocates and schools to recognize warning signs and know where to turn.
The two schools where the children attended classes are offering counseling, according to Caddo Schools Superintendent Keith Burton. While also speaking at the news conference, Burton said he saw a classmate of one of the victims that morning, who was in Kindergarten, walk silently down the hall upon learning the news of the deaths. “And as she walked into the calming room, that counseling, that place of safety, she spoke to no one. And she put her head on the shoulder of one of those counselors and just cried.” By Monday afternoon, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry arrived in Shreveport to offer his support and condolences. He also announced that the Love One Foundation, run by his wife, First Lady Sharon Landry, will pay for the children’s funerals.
