8 kids — ages 1 to 14 — killed in mass shooting across Shreveport, Louisiana — as gunman targets his ‘descendants’

This was not a random act of violence. It was deeply personal—and that is what makes the tragedy even more difficult to comprehend.

A Crime Rooted in Family Conflict

According to authorities, the shooter—identified as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins—targeted his own family. Seven of the victims were his children, while the eighth was a close relative.

Investigators say the violence unfolded across multiple locations in the early morning hours, turning what should have been a safe home environment into a scene of unimaginable loss. Two women, including the mothers of some of the children, were also shot and survived with serious injuries.

Authorities described the incident as a domestic-related mass killing, not a public or random attack.