What happened
A man in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday shot dead his seven children and their cousin and critically wounded his wife and another woman. The gunman, identified as Shamar Elkins, then stole a car and led police on a chase that ended in his death, law enforcement said.
Who said what
Police did not speculate what prompted the murder of the children — five girls and three boys ages 3 to 11 — but detectives were confident it was “entirely a domestic incident,” Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon told reporters. Elkins, 31, and his wife were separating and due in court Monday, Crystal Brown, a cousin of one of the wounded women, told The Associated Press.
It was the deadliest U.S. mass shooting since January 2024, according to a database from the AP, USA Today and Northeastern University. “Domestic violence shootings generally receive less media attention,” but each of the six other mass killings this year were “carried out by someone who knew the victims,” The Washington Post said. All six “occurred in southern states near Louisiana.”
What next?
“We’re holding the victims, their families” and “our Shreveport community close in our thoughts and prayers,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R), who represents Shreveport in Congress.