The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office released the identities of the seven child siblings and a cousin were who shot and killed Sunday. It also said the victims’ ages ranged from 3 to 11
The eight children who were shot dead in Louisiana have been formerly named.
Shortly after 6am Central Time, Shamar Elkins, a 31 year old army veteran, allegedly carried out the horrific attacks across three properties in Shreveport, according to authorities.
Shreveport Police Department Corporal Chris Bordelon stated that the large crime scene included three locations in the Cedar Grove area. Bordelon told reporters that Elkins carried out a carjacking after fleeing the scene, with patrol officers giving chase before he was fatally shot by police.
The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office released the identities of the seven child siblings and a cousin were who shot and killed Sunday. It also said the victims’ ages ranged from 3 to 11.
The children, who were identified by their mothers, include three boys and five girls, the office said in a statement late Sunday.
They were identified as Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and Braylon Snow, 5.
The office said autopsies were ordered for the victims.
Shockingly Bordelon also confirmed seven children were killed inside the second house, and one was found dead on the roof after apparently trying to escape. It is not clear if the child found on the roof was one of his children or not at this stage.
State Rep. Tammy Phelps said some children tried to get away through the back door. “I can’t even imagine what the police officers, first responders actually dealt with when they got here today,” she said at a news conference.
The two wounded women were in critical condition, officials said.
Louisiana governor Jeff Landry and US House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is from Shreveport, said in separate statements that they were heartbroken and praised law enforcement for their response.
“We’re holding the victims, their families and loved ones, and our Shreveport community close in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” Mr Johnson said in a statement.
Investigators did not say what may have set off the violence. Bordelon said there was still much to investigate but that detectives were confident the shooting was “entirely a domestic incident.”
It was the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
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