SHREVEPORT, La. — Eight children were killed and two mothers were badly injured in a horrifying "family annihilation" that rocked a peaceful neighborhood in Shreveport's Cedar Grove area early on Sunday morning. Shamar Elkins, 31, went on a domestic-related rampage that included a home on West 79th Street and targeted his own family, according to Shreveport Police. Seven of Elkins' own children and one of their cousins were among the victims, which included five girls and three boys between the ages of three and eleven. Witnesses recounted a terrifying scenario in which some youngsters frantically attempted to flee through windows and onto the roof; sadly, first responders later found one kid dead on top of the house.
The violence reportedly began around 5:00 a.m. following a dispute over a pending legal separation, with Elkins and his wife scheduled for an appearance in court just one day after the tragedy. After the shootings, Elkins fled the scene in a stolen vehicle, leading law enforcement on a pursuit into neighboring Bossier Parish, where he was fatally shot by officers. Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux called the event "the worst tragic situation" in the city's history, as the community grapples with the loss of nearly an entire generation of one family. While two women, including the gunman’s wife, remain hospitalized with serious injuries, a 13-year-old boy who jumped from the roof to escape the gunfire is expected to survive the deadly attack.
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