Asking the nation for prayer.' Family reels after 8 children killed

A mass shooting on April 19 in Shreveport, Louisiana, left eight children dead and injured several adults. The victims' family is seeking prayers while police and federal agencies investigate the shooter’s actions and the source of the weapon.

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Relatives, classmates and community members are reeling after eight children were killed in northwest Louisiana in the nation's deadliest mass shooting since January 2024.

Family and others who knew the victims said they regularly attended church, excelled in school, and appeared to be doing well prior to the horrific April 19 morning attack in the neighborhood where they lived in Shreveport, a city less than 20 miles east of the Texas state line.

“I really can’t believe it. (They) are a gospel, church-going family. A singing family," Francine Monro Brown, the victims' cousin told USA TODAY on April 20.

Shreveport police said Shamar Elkins opened fire, killing seven of his own children and injuring his wife and another woman. The coroner's office identified the juveniles killed in the shooting as 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.

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Brown, the cousin of Elkin's wife, said her family remained in disbelief after the horrific shooting, and that the children's mother remained hospitalized on Monday.

"She doesn’t know yet. We’re keeping it from her (for now)," Brown told USA TODAY, saying the family was concerned about broken heart syndrome. This medical condition can be brought on by stressful situations and extreme emotion, according to The Mayo Clinic.

Brown, who lives in Eden Gardens, the same neighborhood where the victims lived, said her cousin remained married to Shamar Elkins at the time of the shooting, and that they wed several years ago. Court records show Shamar Elkins was married in 2024.

Brown said the family continues to wonder what led to the fatal attack since there appeared to be no family tension among the relatives in recent days.

"I’m not sure what happened. I’m asking the nation for prayer," Brown said. "For the kids and the Elkins family.”

Funeral arrangements for the children, Brown said, are pending.

Victim, age 6, recently praised by school leaders

More information about the victims has slowly been coming to light. Keith S. Burton, superintendent of Caddo Parish Public Schools, said a principal at one school shared that one of the 6-year-olds killed in the attack had just been lauded for meeting his literacy testing goals.

"When he first tested at the beginning of the year, he was well below basic," the principal said, according to Burton. "And just last week, I had the opportunity to celebrate him, because he had met his benchmark goals."

Burton said he saw at least one student silently break down while visiting the schools the young victims attended.

Pastor Steven J. Newton, Sr., said that grief has rippled through the community, touching not only the students who will have to return to classrooms without their peers but also neighbors who will have to walk the streets near the site of the shooting.

Newton said members of his church, The Kingdom Center Shreveport/Bossier, leapt into action, collecting food and other items to donate to family members gathered at the scene.

He said he last spoke with the family around midnight. They're struggling to process their grief and find a way to move forward. Still, he said it was "amazing" to see them lean into their faith.

"Their spirit is very strong," he said.

A prayer vigil was set for 6 p.m. local time on April 20 near Linwood Avenue and West 79th Street, Shreveport Councilman Rev. James Green told reporters during a news conference.

Another vigil is set for April 22 at the same location, Green said.

More: Shreveport looks for answers about gunman who killed 8 children

Motive in attack still under investigation

During a news conference, Shreveport police Chief Wayne Smith said several key details of the attack remained under investigation, including how Elkins died.

The chief said the Louisiana State Police is investigating whether Elkins died by suicide or was killed by police in an exchange of gunfire. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also investigating how Elkins got the gun used in the shooting, Smith said.