(The Center Square) – Shreveport on Monday continued to grapple with the aftermath of one of the city’s deadliest tragedies.
The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office released the names of eight young children who were shot to death by suspect Shamar Elkins.
Identified by the mothers, the children killed were Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and Braylon Snow, 5.
Two women were also shot and remain in critical condition. Police said one of the women is the mother of seven of the children. The eighth child who died is reportedly a family member.
After shooting the victims, Elkins carjacked a passing motorist at gunpoint and fled to Bossier City. The pursuit ended when Shreveport police officers fired on the vehicle, killing Elkins.
Across the city, vigils are being held and residents are openly mourning the events that unfolded early Sunday morning.
Gov. Jeff Landry was in Shreveport late Monday to address the community.
“You know I thought that I had seen evil up close as we dealt with last year’s Bourbon Street attack, but the tragedy that unfolded this weekend seems to have eclipsed that,” Landry said at Government Plaza in Shreveport.
The children were killed at three Shreveport homes around 6 a.m. Sunday. The crime scene investigation involves four locations, from Cedar Grove to north Bossier. The children were found deceased on the 300 block of West 79th Street.
The Love One Louisiana Foundation will be paying all of the expenses for the children’s funerals, Landry said.
Elkins had a 2019 conviction for illegal use of a weapon from a confrontation with another man that occurred near a school. His claims of self-defense could not be disproved, according to the Caddo Parish district attorney’s office.
Elkins received probation for that shooting incident. He also had a 2015 DWI conviction.
“The incident occurred near a school due to the location of Mr. Elkins’ residence,” the district attorney said. "The court determined the sentence, and there have been no reported interactions with law enforcement or the courts since that time."
Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith has repeatedly told the City Council that domestic violence is a critical issue facing the city. As other crime statistics were dropping this year, domestic violence incidents had been rising.
Shreveport Police responded to nearly 3,000 calls related to domestic violence in 2025, Smith told the City Council in February. Last year, more than 20% of the city’s 42 homicides were coded domestic violence, according to Smith.
Shreveport has had 15 homicides so far this year, including the eight from Sunday.
“One of the things that tragedy gives you the opportunity to do is to pull together as a community, not just the city but the state and the people of the state,” said Mayor Tom Arceneaux at Monday's press conference.
