Shamar Elkins was expected to stand in front of a judge hours before he massacred eight children in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday.
Family members spoke about the father being distraught over issues with his wife, thus pointing to a possible motive behind the kids being gunned down and two women being wounded.
He was “losing his mind,” one relative said.
Shamar Elkins was expected to stand in front of a judge hours before he massacred eight children in Louisiana
Image credits: Shaneiqua Elkins
Trigger warning: this article contains graphic details that may be distressing to some.
Shamar Elkins went on a violent rampage, shooting seven of his own children and one of their cousins. Most of the kids were asleep when he pulled the trigger on them.
One child attempted to escape but was eventually struck and found lifeless on the roof, authorities said.
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As the Army veteran, 31, carried out the attack across multiple homes, he also fired his weapon at Shaneiqua Pugh, his wife of two years, and Christina Snow, his girlfriend, who was struck in the head.
A third woman, Shaneiqua’s sister, and a girl, aged 12, jumped off the roof in their attempt to escape.
The attacker shot his wife and girlfriend as well, while two others jumped off the roof trying to escape
Image credits: Shreveport Police Department
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Both Shaneiqua and Christina were hospitalized in critical condition.
Meanwhile, Shamar attempted to flee in a stolen car but was fatally struck by cops.
Image credits: TheNationalDesk
In the lead-up to the rampage, Shamar spoke to loved ones about the breakdown of his marriage.
He and Shaneiqua were meant to appear in court on Monday for divorce proceedings, according to Crystal Brown, a cousin of one of the adult victims.
The Army veteran was “distraught” over the breakdown of his marriage
Image credits: Shamar Elkins
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Troy Brown, the attacker’s brother-in-law, said he recently had a conversation with Shamar, who seemed “distraught” and didn’t seem to want to split from Shaneiqua.
“After the first argument about the divorce, he acted like he was losing his mind,” he told the Washington Post.
“He was upset about it. I would talk to him, and he would tell me, ‘Bro, I don’t want to lose my wife.’”
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On Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, Shamar spoke to his mother, Mahelia Elkins, and his stepfather, Marcus Jackson, about drowning in “dark thoughts” about wanting to end his own life.
“I told him, ‘You can beat stuff, man. I don’t care what you’re going through, you can beat it,’” the stepfather told the New York Times. “Then I remember him telling me: ‘Some people don’t come back from their demons.’”
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The distressed husband reshared messages on social media that indicated the state of his mental health in recent weeks.
“Dads, if you could go back in time and have kids with a different woman but still have the same kids, would you do it?” read a post that Shamar reshared a few weeks back with his own answer, “Hell yehhhhhhhh I would.”
Shamar shared unusual posts on social media in the lead-up to the bloodshed
Image credits: Shaneiqua Elkins
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He reshared another post on April 9 that said, “Dear God, Today I ask You to help me guard my mind and my emotions. When negativity arises, remind me to say, ‘It does not belong to me,’ in the name of Jesus.”
Following the Sunday massacre, Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said the crime scene was “unlike anything” most of them had seen.
The child victims were identified as Shayla Elkins, 5; Jayla Elkins, 3; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Layla Pugh, 7; Kayla Pugh, 6; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and Braylon Snow, 5.
Image credits: Shaneiqua Elkins
Shamar worked at UPS and served with the Louisiana Army National Guard from August 2013 to August 2020 as a signal support system specialist and fire support specialist.
The father was arrested in 2019 for firing five rounds from a firearm into a car as it sped away, just 300 feet away from a Shreveport high school.
The father had two prior convictions before gunning down eight children and wounding others at multiple homes
The incident led to his 2019 conviction for the illegal use of weapons. He was also convicted in 2016 for driving while intoxicated.
If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm or s**c*dal ideation, help is available: International Hotlines
“This one is just grief,” one commenter wrote online. “Eight children are gone”
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