Shreveport, Louisiana, police identified Shamar Elkins as the suspect in the shooting that killed eight children, including a 3-year-old, calling it a “heinous act.”
Shreveport Police Department Corporal Christopher Bordelon released the identity while speaking with reporters near the crime scene on Sunday evening. He also said seven of the eight children killed are believed to be Elkins’ children.
Police said the violence unfolded early Sunday during what investigators described as a domestic incident. Eight children, ranging in age from about 3 to 11, were found dead at a home in the 300 block of West 79th Street.
Authorities said Elkins shot the mother of his children, who is expected to survive, while another female who was shot is suffering from life-threatening injuries. A teenage victim also sustained injuries that are considered non-life-threatening.
According to investigators, the suspect first shot an adult female on Harrison Street before traveling to the West 79th Street residence, where the killings occurred. After fleeing, he allegedly carjacked a man at gunpoint near Linwood Avenue and West 79th Street before officers located the vehicle and initiated a pursuit.
The chase continued into Bossier Parish, where officers confronted the suspect and opened fire, killing him at the scene. Authorities said no officers were injured.
Louisiana State Police have taken over the investigation into the officer-involved shooting, while Shreveport police continue to investigate the killings, and are asking anyone with information, photos or video to come forward.
Elkins previously served in the Louisiana Army National Guard, officials said.
“Shamar D. Elkins served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from August 2013 to August 2020 as a Signal Support System Specialist (25U) and a Fire Support Specialist (13F),” an Army official told Fox News Digital. “He has no deployment. He left the Army as a private.”
