Louisiana man who fatally shot 8 children had marital and mental health issues: Family
· Toronto Sun
A Louisiana father who fatally shot seven of his own children and another child Sunday morning was reportedly in the midst of separating from his wife and had been hospitalized for mental health issues.
In what Shreveport officials described as a domestic violence incident, police said Shamar Elkins, 31, shot his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh, the mother of four of his children, in a home, injuring her, before driving to another home and fatally shooting eight children, injuring another woman and child.
Visit sports24.club for more information.
Elkins was fatally shot by officers following a police chase.
Pugh was seeking a divorce, and the couple was scheduled to appear in court Monday, family members told the Washington Post .
Elkins’ brother-in-law, Troy Brown, and Brown’s cousin, Crystal Brown-Page, said he was not a violent man.
Brown-Page told the New York Post the divorce proceedings may have “triggered something in him.”
Brown, whose 10-year-old son was among the young victims killed in the shooting, said Elkins appeared “calm” the night before, and even recalled Elkins joking with him when he went to move his car, so Brown could pull out for his nightshift job, the Post reported. The two men lived in the same home.
Shooter sought mental health treatment: Family
Brown-Page told the Post that Elkins, who had served in the Louisiana Army National Guard, sought a mental health evaluation at a local Veterans Affairs hospital. She said he was released after spending less than two weeks there.
Elkins mother and stepfather told the New York Times that he had called them on Easter Sunday, telling them through tears that he wanted to kill himself.
His stepfather, Marcus Jackson, said Elkins told him his wife wanted a divorce and said he was having “dark thoughts.”
“I told him, ‘You can beat stuff, man. I don’t care what you’re going through, you can beat it,’” Jackson told the Times . “Then I remember him telling me: ‘Some people don’t come back from their demons.’”
Victims identified
Police said a total of 11 people were shot in Sunday’s rampage.
Eight children between the ages of three and 11 were killed.
Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office identified them as Jayla Elkins, 3, Braylon Snow, 5, Shayla Elkins, 5, Kayla Pugh, 6, Khedarrion Snow, 6, Layla Pugh, 7, Markaydon Pugh, 10, and Sariahh Snow, 11.
Pugh, and another woman, who is the mother of Elkins’ three other children, were critically injured, according to reports citing family members.
Timeline of events
Shreveport police said the rampage happened early Sunday morning.
At 5:55 a.m., police had received a call about a shooting at a house. Soon after, police identified the suspect as Elkins. The caller told police she and her children fled to the roof and were found by police in the backyard, the Shreveport Times reported.
Several minutes later, police received a call from another location from a woman who claimed her boyfriend had shot her, and had fled the scene with three of her children.
Police said Eikens commited a carjacking, sparking a police chase. He was shot after he and officers exchanged gunfire and was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:14 a.m., police said.
Police said no children were found inside the vehicle.
No history of domestic violence
The Associated Press reported that Elkins was placed on probation in 2019 after pleading guilty to illegal use of weapons.
Police were unaware of any prior domestic violence issues involving him and are still looking for a motive in the shooting.
The rampage marked the deadliest U.S. mass shooting in more than two years, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.