‘Can’t believe it’: Family shares shock over relative who killed 8 kidS

In the wake of a mass shooting that left eight children dead and two women fighting for their lives in Louisiana, their loved ones are sharing more about what led up to the tragedy that has shattered their family and community.

Interviews by USA TODAY and other news outlets reveal that shooting suspect Shamar Elkins may have been plagued with “dark thoughts” as his wife sought a divorce.

Shreveport officials have described the shooting on April 19 as domestic violence, saying Elkins shot the mother of his children and another woman, as well as his seven children and one of their cousins. Court records show Elkins married Shaneiqua Pugh in April 2024.

“I really can’t believe it,” Francine Monro Brown, a cousin of Elkins’ wife, told USA TODAY. “The Pughs are a gospel, church-going family. A singing family.”

Brown recalled how Elkins recently took the kids to church.

“And they were dressed so cute. All dressed alike,” Brown said. “The Pugh family is a happy family. A joyous family. I’m not sure what happened … I’m asking the nation for prayer. For the kids and the Elkins family.”

Here’s what to know about the rampage that left eight children dead.

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Shreveport mass shooting leaves eight children dead

Eight children were killed in what police believe was a domestic shooting in northwest Louisiana on April 19, according to local authorities.

What do we know about Elkins?

Elkins served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from 2013 to 2020 as a signal system specialist and a fire support specialist, an Army official told USA TODAY. He never deployed. At the time of the shooting, he was working for the United Parcel Service, the company confirmed.

He had previously pleaded guilty to illegal use of weapons and received probation, court records show.

Family members spoke to news outlets to share more about Elkins’ mental state.

Elkins and his wife were in the process of separating and were set to appear in court on April 20, the day after the shooting, Crystal Brown, a cousin of one of the women who was wounded in the shooting, told the Associated Press.

Elkins’ stepfather, Marcus Jackson, told The New York Times that his stepson said during a call on Easter Sunday that his wife wanted a divorce. Elkins said that he wanted to take his own life and that he was dealing with “dark thoughts,” Jackson told the newspaper.

“I told him, ‘You can beat stuff, man. I don’t care what you’re going through, you can beat it,’” Jackson told the outlet. “Then I remember him telling me, ‘Some people don’t come back from their demons.'”

The Johnson family attends a candlelight vigil on April 19, 2026 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Eight children were killed and two women were wounded during a … Show more
Brandon Bell, Getty Images

Who were the 8 children killed?

The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office identified the eight children killed in the April 19 shooting. Seven of the children were Elkins’ and one was a cousin, officials said. The children were:

Jayla Elkins, 3
Shayla Elkins, 5
Kayla Pugh, 6
Layla Pugh, 7
Markaydon Pugh, 10
Sariahh Snow, 11
Khedarrion Snow, 6
Braylon Snow, 5

Community mourns children slain at candlelight vigil

Community members gathered to remember and mourn the victims at a vigil the evening of April 20 near the crime scene, where crime scene tape still hung.

“Yesterday there was tragedy just 100 feet away, and today there are so many people that have come out to pray and share their feelings with family,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said, reported the Shreveport Times, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Brown, the cousin of the suspect’s wife, said so many people came to support the family, including some she didn’t expect.

As Brown reminisced on her cousins playing in the yard, she said: “I really want things to get better. I know that great people make great communities, and I think we could be great.”

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Photos show Cedar Grove vigil after Shreveport mass shooting

Take a look inside the candlelight vigil honoring eight children killed Monday evening in Cedar Grove.

See the timeline: How the Shreveport mass shooting that left 8 children dead unfolded

How the Louisiana mass shooting unfolded

Authorities said the shooting rampage unfolded at two homes in Shreveport. At the first home, a woman and her child fled to the roof, and the mother called 911, Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. The two jumped from the roof to escape, and the child was injured.

Elkins “shot everyone inside the home,” the caller told police at about 5:58 a.m., adding that there were nine people living there.

Minutes later, another call came in from a woman who said her boyfriend shot her and had taken her three children.

After the shootings, Elkins stole a car at gunpoint and officers followed him to Bossier City, where they exchanged gunfire. Elkins was pronounced dead, but it remains under investigation whether he was shot by police or shot himself. The injured victims from the second house and no children were found in the car with Elkins.

In all, eight children were killed in the shooting. Two women, including Elkins’ wife, were seriously injured by gunfire. One child was injured escaping off a roof.