More details emerge after eight children die in Louisiana shooting

20 Apr 2026 • 1:53 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

More details emerge after eight children die in Louisiana shooting

  • A gunman, identified as Shamar Elkins, 31, killed eight children and critically wounded two women in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday.
  • Seven of the deceased children were his own, aged between one and 12 years old, found at a second location after he had shot a woman at a first home.
  • One child was discovered dead on the roof, having apparently tried to escape the attack, which police confirmed was "entirely a domestic incident."
  • Elkins was killed following a police pursuit, while the two women, including the mother of his children, remain in critical condition.
  • Local officials expressed profound shock and grief, describing the incident as the nation's deadliest mass shooting since January 2024.

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