Here is an absolutely devastating story out of Louisiana on Sunday, where a man went on a three-location mass shooting, injuring 10 and killing 8, before leading police on a chase after stealing someone’s car. It was during that chase that the shooter was shot and killed by police.
Warning: story contains graphic decriptions of violence
My colleague Scott McClallen at sister site Townhall wrote earlier on the breaking reports on the heinous slaying of the kids, in a piece titled “8 Kids Shot and Killed in Louisiana ‘Domestic Disturbance'”:
Eight children between the ages of one and 14 years old are dead after a domestic disturbance around 6 a.m. in Shreveport, Louisiana. Two adults are reportedly wounded and the shooting suspect is dead, Cpl. Christopher Bordelon said in a press conference.
Officers responded to a “rather extensive” crime scene in the 300 block of West 79 Street, the Shreveport Police Department said in a press conference.
“Right now, we have at least 10 individuals that were struck by gunfire last night in a domestic disturbance,” Bordelon said. “Eight of these individuals are deceased. The ranges of the decedents are from one years of age to approximately 14 years of age.”
Some of the children were related to the male shooter, who hasn’t yet been named.
The shooting suspect allegedly carjacked someone at the corner of West 79th and Lynwood when local police chased the vehicle and they reportedly fatally shot the suspect.
It was believed initially that the children ranged in age from 1-14:
🚨 NOW: Police have NEUTRALIZED the suspect who killed a whopping 8 children aged 1-14, as part of a domestic tragedy in Shreveport, Louisiana
Good riddance to that disgusting animal. pic.twitter.com/Z9rprM4LF0
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 19, 2026
🚨 NOW: Police have NEUTRALIZED the suspect who killed a whopping 8 children aged 1-14, as part of a domestic tragedy in Shreveport, Louisiana
Good riddance to that disgusting animal. pic.twitter.com/Z9rprM4LF0
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 19, 2026
That number has been revised, and authorities now have released the identity of the man who caused such carnage: (emphasis added)
The children who died ranged in age from 1 to 12, Shreveport Police Cpl. Chris Bordelon told the Associated Press. Police said earlier the ages ranged from 1 to 14.
…
Bordelon identified the gunman as Shamar Elkins.
Another detail that arrived in the update is truly gut-wrenching, though – that Elkins was the father of seven of the eight children who perished.
In an interview with CNN affiliate KSLA, linked in the CNN story above, Cpl. Bordelon confirmed that the targets of the shooting were entirely “domestic in nation,” but law enforcement investigators “are still working to determine a complete motive and understanding as to why this happened.”
In addition to the children, two adult women, one of them the mom, were also shot. One of them is in critical condition, at the time of this writing.
Unfortunately, one of the more difficult parts of writing on current events is reporting on tragic stories like this involving the injury or intentional death of the most innocent in our society, whether it is young children or babies in the womb. Every instance is senseless and heartbreaking to bear witness to. Readers take part in that witnessing, something that I’m grateful for every day.
In the wee hours of Saturday morning, I shared a piece with disturbing details about a capital murder case involving a true angel, 7-year-old Athena Strand of Paradise, TX, who was taken away from her parents and other family members in 2022 by a monster (who admitted to the crime), a former FedEx driver who claimed that an alternate personality actually committed the crime. That trial, as I wrote, is in the penalty phase in front of a jury; he could receive the death penalty or life in prison. (see: Sickening: Jury Sobs While Listening to Last Moments of 7-Year-Old’s Life in TX Capital Murder Case).
Louisiana officials said during a Sunday press conference the community is struggling to come to terms with the event, but there is a sliver of a silver lining amid the vast darkness: (emphasis added)
“It rattles the entire city,” Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said. “It affects us all.”
Arceneaux said in an earlier news conference a teenager who survived Sunday’s attack had “non-life threatening injuries.”
Join me in praying for these families who are waiting for word or grieving their loved ones in the Bayou State tonight. This is a developing story, and RedState will provide updates as warranted.
