The suspect is the father of seven of the children killed, according to police.

Heartbreaking mass shooting in Shreveport, LouisianaPolice say eight children were killed between the ages of 1 and 14 years old in what they’re calling a “domestic disturbance” by a single suspect – gunned down by police in a car chase.

As an investigation continued into the motive of Sunday’s fatal shootings of eight children in Shreveport, Louisiana, allegedly by the father of seven of the victims, police officials released a timeline detailing the 68-minute massacre.

“April 19 … will be written in the pages of history as one of the worst days that could have ever happened here in Shreveport,” Chief Wayne Smith of the Shreveport Police Department said at a news conference on Monday.

Smith said the suspect, Shamar Elkins, a former member of the Louisiana Army National Guard, allegedly used an assault-style pistol to kill seven of his children and an eighth child related to him. A teenage boy was also injured when he jumped off the roof of a house to escape the shooting, police said.

People attend a candlelight vigil, April 19, 2026, in Shreveport, Louisiana, where eight children were killed and two women were wounded during a domestic violence incident, according to local authorities. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
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While Elkins died after police opened fire on him following a car chase, Smith said it remains unclear whether he was shot to death or died by suicide.

Smith said domestic violence is believed to be the primary motive behind the killings. The chief said two women, including the mother of seven of the children who were killed, were wounded in the incident and remain hospitalized.

Eight children were found fatally shot early Sunday in a home in Shreveport, La., after police investigated what they said was a domestic violence call, according to authorities.
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He said investigators are probing five different crime scenes connected to the shootings.

Police said the children killed, siblings and one cousin, ranged in age from 3 to 11.

Timeline of the deadly rampage

During Monday’s press conference, Smith went over a timeline of the deadly attacks that occurred before sunrise on Sunday:

5:55 a.m. — Shreveport Police received the first call regarding a disturbance at a residence on W. 79th Street in the Ceder Grove neighborhood of South Shreveport. The caller stated that they were on top of the house while the suspect was inside, and a male had been shot.

Shreveport police officers stand behind crime scene tape as detectives collect evidence at two homes nearby where a suspect allegedly fatally shot eight children, April 19, 2026.
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5:58 a.m. — A police dispatcher received an additional call from the same 911 caller, indicating the suspect was a relative of the caller.

5:59 a.m. — A dispatcher was advised by the caller that approximately nine individuals resided at the W. 79th Street location. The caller stated that the suspect, Elkins, had shot everyone inside the home.

6 a.m. — The caller advised the dispatcher that she and her children fled the W. 79th Street house onto the roof and that they were in the backyard.

Syrnerica Pugh is comforted while grieving the death of her nieces and nephews, April 19, 2026, in Shreveport, Louisiana.
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6:01 a.m. — Shreveport officers arrived at the W. 79th Street residence.

6:03 a.m. — Officers made contact with the 911 caller at the West 79th Street residence.

6:05 a.m. — Officers requested the Shreveport Fire Department stage at a location near the West 79th Street home, close to Linwood Avenue.

6:07 a.m. — A second 911 caller reported a shooting at a home on Harrison Street in Shreveport. The caller stated that her boyfriend shot her and fled the scene with her three children.

One of the homes police have cordoned off as part of a domestic violence investigation in which a suspect is alleged to have fatally shot eight children, April 19, 2026.
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6:08 a.m.– The second caller identified the suspect who shot her and took her children as Elkins.

6:10 a.m. — A police dispatcher links the Harrison Street shooting with the shooting on West 79^th Street and determines that they were related.

6:15 a.m. — Officers received information that the suspect had carjacked a red Kia Sportage at West 79^th Street near Linwood Avenue.

6:17 a.m. — Shreveport police traffic units out on random patrol observed the carjacked Kia heading southbound on Interstate 49.

Members of the Johnson family attend a candlelight vigil, April 19, 2026, in Shreveport, Louisiana, for eight children were killed and two women were wounded during a domestic violence incident.
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6:18 a.m. — Officer radioed in that they were chasing the stolen car over a bridge in crossing the Red River into Bossier City.

6:20 a.m. — Officers involved in the chase reported that the children taken from the Harrison Street residence may be inside the fleeing vehicle.

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6:23 a.m. — Officers advised dispatch that they were exiting the interstate near the Swan Lake area of Bossier City.

6:25 a.m. — Officers back in Shreveport find the victim injured in the Harrison Street shooting.

6:29 a.m. — Officers report and exchange of gunfire with the suspect on Brompton Lane in Bossier City.

6:40 a.m. — Police officers advised a dispatcher that the suspect vehicle was empty and no children were located inside. Chief Smith did not say during Monday’s news conference what happened to the children taken from the Harrison Street residence.

6:43 a.m. — Officers in Shreveport cleared the West 79^th Street home and found multiple deceased victims.

7:03 a.m. — The suspect, Elkins, is pronounced dead at the scene on Brompton Lane in Bossier City.