7 of 8 Kids Killed Were Gunman's Own Children: Cops

Police say 31-year-old Shamar Elkins killed seven of his own children, ages 1 to 14, and another child before dying after a police chase and shootout in Sunday's Shreveport, Louisiana, shooting rampage—which the mayor called possibly the city's worst tragedy on record, the New York Times reports. Two adult women were also shot and gravely wounded at two different homes in the shooting spree, including Elkins' wife, identified by relatives as Shaneiqua Pugh. A cousin of one of the wounded women tells the AP Elkins and Pugh were separating and were supposed to be in court Monday. The cousin says Elkins had four children with Pugh and three with another woman, and the kids were all together at one location. The cousin says the mother of the other children lived nearby and was also shot.

Relatives say Elkins had recently been struggling with mental health issues and had recently said he wanted to end his life. His mother and stepfather recalled a call on Easter Sunday in which he wept, said his wife wanted a divorce, and described feeling overwhelmed by "dark thoughts." His mother said she texted him last week asking about the family and received a reassuring reply. On Sunday, she instead learned from news reports and online comments that her son was accused of killing her grandchildren. Family friends and a former co-worker described Elkins as a seemingly devoted father who nevertheless often appeared under heavy stress, sometimes nervously pulling out his hair. He had served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from 2013 to 2020, worked for UPS, and had prior convictions, including for illegal use of a weapon in 2019.

Authorities say that after the shootings, Elkins forced someone out of a car and fled as officers pursued him; he was fatally shot, though investigators have not yet determined whether police gunfire or a self-inflicted wound killed him. A motive has not been made public, but a Shreveport Police Department spokesperson says authorities believe the tragedy was "entirely a domestic incident." Police say one woman was shot before sunrise at one home before Elkins drove to the second home and carried out the rest of the shootings. One of the children was found dead on the roof after apparently attempting to escape; another child jumped off the roof and survived. Police say one of the two women suffered life-threatening injuries, Fox News reports.