Shamar Elkins killed his seven children and their cousin in a horrifying mass murder in Louisiana. Now, a possible motive behind the heinous crime has been brought up.
Shamar Elkins was fatally shot during a car chase after he killed his seven children and their cousin in Savreport, Louisiana, on Sunday. The children, three boys and five girls, were ages 3 to 11.
The children were all identified as Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Braylon Snow, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Khedarrion Snow, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10, and Sariahh Snow, 11.
According to a database maintained by the Associated Press, in partnership with Northeastern University, the Shreveport killings were the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024.
“I just don’t know what to say. My heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith told reporters. “I just cannot begin to imagine how such an event can occur.”
Several of the children had tried to escape from the house, both through a back door and the roof, when Shamar Elkins began shooting. On Monday, Shreveport Corporal Christopher Bordelon said investigators believe two guns were used in the mass shooting.
Inside Shamar Elkins’ murder of his seven children and their cousin – possible motive
“I think he just had it in his mind he was going to kill everybody in the house,” Bordelon told People Magazine. “I don’t think there was much thought processes to order, I don’t know that he necessarily had a plan other than just to kill everybody.”
“We believe he began basically killing kids down on the first floor, and that others tried to escape out a window that was on the second floor that went on top of a garage.”
The true reason behind the heinous act by Shamar Elkins, who had two previous convictions: for driving while intoxicated in 2016 and for the illegal use of weapons in 2019, is not known. However, a possible motive has been laid forward.
Besides killing the eight children, Shamar Elkins also shot his estranged wife, Shaneiqua, and the woman identified as his girlfriend, Christina Snow.
According to KSLA, Pugh was shot several times in both the head and the stomach, while Christina was shot in the head. Both women were rushed to the hospital but are believed to have survived.
Fought “demons” and divorce battle
Elkins and Pugh were reportedly involved in an ugly divorce battle when the horrific mass murder took place. They were supposed to appear in court on Monday.
Speaking with The New York Times, the killers’ mother, Mahelia Elkins, and his stepfather, Marcus Jackson, explained that Shamar had told them Shaneiqua had filed for divorce.
Meanwhile, Jackson revealed his stepson was “drowning in dark thoughts.” He told his stepdad that some people “don’t come back from their demons.”
“I told him, ‘You can beat stuff, man. I don’t care what you’re going through, you can beat it,’” Jackson told The New York Times. “Then I remember him telling me: ‘Some people don’t come back from their demons.’”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family amid this horrifying tragedy.
READ MORE
- Shamar Elkin’s 4-word message to his mom days before he took the lives of eight children
- Police reveal horrifying discovery in house where Shamar Elkins killed his seven children and their cousin
