Shreveport Officials Report Three Survivors After Rampage That Killed Eight Children
A man killed eight children in Shreveport, Louisiana, and police say three people survived the attack. Police said the shootings happened Sunday across three locations in northwest Shreveport, beginning at a home and then moving to other nearby residences. Officials say 10 people were shot, including eight children who died and two adult women who survived. Victims ranged in age from about 1 to 14 years old, and police said some of the children were related to the shooter. Officials identified the suspect as Shamar Elkins, who was killed by officers after a carjacking and a vehicle pursuit into neighboring Bossier City.
Early reports described the killings as a domestic dispute and noted that some children were related to the suspect, without firm detail. Later coverage by outlets including CBS and NPR confirmed seven of the eight slain children were the suspect's own, deepening the case's familial and domestic-violence context. That reporting shifted public understanding from a general mass-shooting frame to one centered on targeted domestic violence and possible execution-style killings. The New York Times and local reporting added timeline, family background, and earlier law enforcement contacts that news conferences had not fully detailed.
Shreveport officials, including Police Chief Wayne Smith and Mayor Tom Arceneaux, briefed the public and asked for tips and videos from residents. Neighbors posted security footage and described a "full-blown shootout," while a witness said her camera captured the suspect running and later a child's covered body on a roof. Authorities also asked Louisiana State Police to investigate the officer-involved shooting, saying no officers were injured. Databases show this is the deadliest U.S. mass shooting since a January 2024 incident, underscoring national concern about domestic-related mass violence.
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This story is compiled from 17 sources using AI-assisted curation and analysis. Original reporting is attributed below. Learn about our methodology.
📌 Key Facts
- The shootings occurred in Shreveport, Louisiana, across three locations in the same neighborhood (including two residences on the same block); officials say the first attack happened at about 5 a.m.
- Police describe the episode as a domestic-violence disturbance that escalated into an "execution-style" mass shooting.
- Eight children, aged roughly 1 to 14, were killed; investigators say seven of the eight slain children were the suspect’s own.
- A total of 10 people were shot in the incident (eight children and two adult women); authorities confirmed three survivors — two women and one child — while identifications of the victims are pending.
- Police publicly identified the suspect as Shamar Elkins, an adult male who served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from 2013 to 2020.
- According to police and witnesses, Elkins first shot a woman at one home, then went to a second residence where most of the children were shot as some tried to flee through a window or back door; neighbors’ video captured the suspect running and at least one witness reported seeing a child’s body on a roof.
- The suspect carjacked a vehicle while fleeing and led officers on a pursuit into Bossier City, where he was fatally shot by police; Louisiana State Police detectives have been asked to investigate the officer-involved shooting and no officers were reported injured.
- Shreveport officials (including Police Chief Wayne Smith, Cpl. Christopher Bordelon and Mayor Tom Arceneaux) held public briefings calling the event an extreme domestic mass-violence incident and urging the public to share any photos or video with investigators.
📰 Source Timeline (17)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
April 20, 2026
4:55 PM
Louisiana officials give update on mass shooting that left 8 children dead
New information:
- Louisiana officials said at a Monday press conference that two women and one child survived the Sunday shooting.
- Authorities publicly confirmed the survival count alongside the already reported eight child fatalities.
4:32 PM
Shreveport, La., Shooting: What We Know About the Killing of 8 Children
New information:
- New York Times provides a structured, timeline-based reconstruction of the shootings, clarifying the sequence of attacks across the three locations.
- Article adds more detailed biographical and family context on several of the child victims and the adult women, including relationships and ages.
- Piece includes expanded description of prior contacts between the suspect and law enforcement and what neighbors and relatives report about warning signs and domestic tensions.
- NYT refines the timeline of the initial domestic incident, the subsequent attacks on children, and the police pursuit and final confrontation in Bossier City.
2:43 PM
Neighbors recall "full-blown shootout" as father targeted kids in shooting
New information:
- Neighbors Jacob and Tiffany Castleman describe hearing sirens, a barrage of gunfire and what they call a 'full-blown shootout' behind their home during the police confrontation with suspect Shamar Elkins.
- Neighbor Liza Demming says her security camera captured the gunman running from the house and two shots, and she later saw a child's covered body on the roof.
- Daycare owner Lashuan Berry, who knew the family, characterizes Elkins as having 'no soul' and 'dead behind the eyes,' while another neighbor, Fred Montgomery, says the family life had appeared normal the night before.
- A relative tells AP that Elkins and his wife had been arguing over their separation ahead of a Monday court appearance, offering more detail on the domestic dispute context.
- Police reiterate that Elkins first shot one woman in the face around 5 a.m., then went to another residence where he shot the eight children and a second woman, targeting victims as they tried to escape through a window.
1:57 PM
Man killed 8 children in "execution-style" shooting, police says
New information:
- CBS segment explicitly notes that suspect Shamar Elkins served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from 2013 to 2020.
- The piece reiterates that officials characterize the shootings as beginning as a domestic dispute before becoming a mass shooting.
1:12 PM
8 children killed in tragic mass shooting linked to domestic dispute
New information:
- Police publicly described the Shreveport killings as an 'execution-style' mass shooting.
- CBS segment reinforces that eight victims were children and that the shootings are being framed as a domestic dispute.
- Law-enforcement commentary on national TV underscores the case as a particularly extreme example of domestic mass violence.
12:22 PM
Man kills 8 children, including 7 of his own, in Louisiana mass shooting, police say
New information:
- Police publicly identified the suspect as Shamar Elkins.
- Investigators said seven of the eight slain children were Elkins' own kids, clarifying prior general family-relationship descriptions.
- CBS framed the suspect's death explicitly as occurring in an exchange of gunfire with officers after the incident.
10:30 AM
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New information:
- NPR reiterates Shreveport police’s account that a gunman killed eight children and wounded two women in northwest Louisiana in a domestic disturbance.
- The newsletter notes that police believe the adult male suspect was the father of seven of the children killed and that one of the women shot was his wife and the mother of seven of the children.
- NPR confirms again that the suspect is dead, aligning with earlier reports of his death after a police pursuit.
April 19, 2026
9:16 PM
8 children killed in Louisiana shooting, police say
New information:
- Confirms attack began at one home where a woman was shot, then moved to a second home where most children were killed.
- Adds witness account from neighbor Liza Demming, whose camera captured the suspect running and who saw a child's body on the roof.
- Provides detail that some children tried to escape out a back door, according to State Rep. Tammy Phelps.
- Clarifies that the Caddo Parish Coroner has not yet released victims' names as identifications are pending.
- Specifies that Louisiana State Police detectives were asked to investigate the officer-involved shooting in Bossier City and that no officers were injured.
- Notes this is the deadliest U.S. mass shooting since an eight-fatality incident in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, per an AP/USA Today/Northeastern database.
8:24 PM
Louisiana officials speak after 8 children and teens killed in shooting
New information:
- CBS carried a live briefing where Louisiana officials publicly confirmed that eight victims were children and teens.
- Officials again emphasized that police view the incident as domestic in nature.
6:00 PM
Eight Children Killed in Louisiana Shooting
New information:
- Wall Street Journal confirms the suspect carjacked a vehicle while fleeing before being killed by officers.
- Article explicitly characterizes the incident as taking place during a domestic dispute, consistent with but independently corroborating earlier police framing.
- Provides a succinct official description that the man 'opened fire' before fleeing, reinforcing the basic sequence of events.
5:56 PM
Police give early update on Shreveport, Louisiana mass shooting
New information:
- Confirms that officials held a Sunday afternoon press conference on the case.
- Identifies specific briefing participants: Corporal Chris Bordelon, Mayor Tom Arceneaux and Police Chief Wayne Smith.
- Reiterates that police are describing the incident as a domestic disturbance in which 10 people were shot and eight children died.
5:33 PM
8 children dead in mass shooting that began as domestic dispute, police say
New information:
- Police spokesperson Chris Bordelon said the victims ranged in age from about 1 to 14 and confirmed a total of 10 people were shot, including two adults.
- Bordelon said the suspect stole a car at gunpoint about a half block from the original scene before the fatal police shootout in Bossier Parish.
- Mayor Tom Arceneaux called it 'maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had' and noted Shreveport has about 180,000 residents.
- Louisiana State Police specified that no officers were injured in the shootout and asked the public to submit photos or video to detectives.
5:26 PM
Eight children killed in a shooting in Louisiana, police say
New information:
- NPR confirms the age range of the slain children as between 1 and 14 years old.
- Police spokesman Cpl. Christopher Bordelon says some of the children were the suspect's descendants.
- NPR explicitly describes the episode as stemming from a domestic disturbance and identifies the suspect as an adult male.
- NPR reiterates that Louisiana State Police are investigating the officer-involved shooting after the car chase.
4:41 PM
8 children killed in mass shooting in Louisiana, police say
New information:
- Confirms eight victims were children and teens and that the suspected shooter is also dead.
- Specifies that the shootings occurred at multiple locations, including two residences on the same block and a third elsewhere in the neighborhood.
- Reaffirms Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith as the official briefing source at a news conference.
4:19 PM
8 Children Killed in Louisiana Domestic Violence Shooting, Police Say
New information:
- Confirms the shooting occurred in Shreveport, Louisiana, rather than only generically in the state.
- Characterizes the incident explicitly as a domestic violence shooting, aligning with police framing in more detail.
- Adds New York Times as an additional corroborating national outlet covering the same event.
4:10 PM
Police say 8 children killed in Louisiana mass shooting
New information:
- Police say a total of 10 people were shot in the incident, with eight children killed.
- Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said the crime scene extends across three locations in the city.
- The suspected shooter was fatally shot by police during a vehicle pursuit that continued into Bossier City.
- Victims range in age from about 1 to 14 years old, and some of the children were related to the suspect.
- Louisiana State Police detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate the officer-involved shooting, and no officers were injured.