The gunman who killed eight children across three Shreveport, Louisiana, homes early Sunday, has been identified as Shamar Elkins, CNN reported.
Seven of the eight children who were murdered were the gunman’s own, according to police. It marks the nation’s deadliest mass shooting since January 2024.
The children who died ranged in age from 1 to 12, Shreveport Police Cpl. Chris Bordelon told CNN. Police said earlier the ages ranged from 1 to 14.
“We are still working to determine a complete motive and understanding as to why this happened, but it is domestic in nature," Bordelon told CNN affiliate KSLA.
A 13-year-old boy was injured after fleeing from a home and jumping from the roof, Bordelon told KSLA. He sustained a “few broken bones" but is expected to recover, he said.
Two adult women, including the mother of Elkins’ children, were also shot in Sunday’s attack, Bordelon told KSLA. The mother of the children had “very serious injuries" and the other woman, who was the mother of the eighth child, has “life threatening injuries," he added.
Bordelon said Elkins was arrested in 2019 on a firearms case. He previously served in the Louisiana Army National Guard for seven years until August 2020, according to the US Army. He was not deployed.
The gunman was fatally shot by officers after carjacking a vehicle and leading police on a chase into the next parish, Bordelon said. The Louisiana State Police are investigating the officer-involved shooting.
Shreveport, which is about 250 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, has about 180,000 residents. More than 30% of the murders in the city are domestic in nature, said city councilman Grayson Boucher.
Police have not released the names of the victims.