Incident Overview
A woman and a child jumped from a rooftop to escape a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, where authorities reported that a father fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own.
Officials were first alerted to the gun attack by an emergency phone call at 05:55 CDT (11:55 GMT) on Sunday. The caller stated they were "on top of the house" while the suspect remained inside.
Police have not identified the survivors or disclosed their relationship to the attacker but confirmed both were in stable condition.
The suspect died following a gun battle with officers, though it remains unclear whether he took his own life or was killed by police.
Victims and Injuries
Two adult women, including the children's mother, were also injured by gunfire and were recovering in hospital, according to police. A ninth child was hospitalized after jumping from the roof while escaping.
The eight children killed in the shooting, who were siblings and one cousin, included three boys and five girls, ranging in age from 3 to 11, as reported by the Caddo Parish coroner's office.
Their mothers identified the children 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, officials said.
Sequence of Events
On Monday, Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith recounted the events, stating that within minutes of the initial emergency call, the caller on the roof reported that "she and her children had fled from the roof and were now in the backyard."
Minutes later, the gunman attacked another home. A different emergency caller informed police "that her boyfriend had shot her, taken her three children, and fled the scene."
Shortly after, police received a report of a carjacking and information suggesting that the children taken from the second residence might be inside the vehicle.
At approximately 06:29, officers located the suspect and exchanged gunfire with him.
The suspect was found dead at the scene, with no children inside the car.
Investigation and Motive
Police have not yet established a motive for the shooting.
Chief Smith identified the suspect as Shamar Elkins, noting he had a criminal history but did not provide further details.
"All evidence and indications are that this erupted as a domestic dispute,"
he said, adding that the weapon used was described as "an assault-style weapon." It is not yet known how the weapon was obtained.
Community Reaction
Jacob and Tiffany Castleman, who live nearby, told KSLA, an affiliate of CBS News, that they heard a "barrage" of gunfire during the officers' exchange with the suspect.
"I knew that there was a full-blown shootout, something going," Tiffany said. "Mind you, we had no clue the later incidents that happened, but I had just full terror."
Jacob said his first thought was "there's no way that that just happened behind our house".
"I was just in total shock. ... it was just chaos," he added.
Fred Montgomery, who lives across the street from the shooting location, expressed his shock to CBS News on Sunday.
"The kids played in the yard every evening," Montgomery said.
"Yesterday evening, [the suspect] was sitting on the porch, I waved at him, he waved back, the children were in the yard... and then this morning we woke up to all of this."
Calls for Action
Speaking on Monday, officials emphasized the need for the community to do more to prevent domestic violence.
Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn noted that a new domestic violence center had opened in the city just 10 days earlier, and that several leaders attending the news conference had also been present at that event.
"I don't believe that any of us could have imagined that only days later our community would be shaken by the most heart-breaking tragedy we have ever witnessed,"
he said.
Police also acknowledged reports that the suspect was undergoing a divorce and was due in court on Monday. The investigation is ongoing.
