Shamar Elkins, the man suspected of shooting seven of his own children—in addition to another child—was allegedly "drowning in dark thoughts" weeks before the mass murder.
The 31-year-old, who was shot dead on Sunday (local time) in a police chase across parts of Shreveport, had allegedly shot the kids—aged 1 to 14—execution-style, the police said.
He had also shot two other people—including his wife, who was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries on Sunday (local time) according to officials and relatives.
A man killed eight children — seven of whom were his own — early Sunday in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, police told CBS News. The ages of the children killed ranged from 1 to approximately 14 years old, authorities said. One of the victims
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 20, 2026
Police identified the… pic.twitter.com/CQELh0cxc4
Despite Elkins dying after police officers opened fire at him during the chase, it is not yet clear whether he was killed by their gunshots, or by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
As the investigation into Elkins' possible motives and mental health history continue, a New York Times report has shed light on a series of shocking conversations that Shamar had with his family about a month before the shooting spree.
In an Easter Sunday conversation with his mother, Mahelia, and his stepfather, Marcus Jackson, he tearfully revealed his mental health issues, adding that he wanted to take his own life, and that his wife wanted to file for divorce.
In fact, the shooting reportedly took place just hours before he and his wife were supposed to head to a court to legally separate.
“I told him: ‘You can beat stuff, man. I don’t care what you’re going through, you can beat it,’” Jackson told Shamar, as per the report.
“Then I remember him telling me: ‘Some people don’t come back from their demons.’”
Mahelia also noted that she had not been close to her son for most of his life, as she had given birth to him as a teenager, and had been suffering from a cocaine addiction at the time.
Raised by another woman, Betty Walker, Shamar had only reconnected with his mother a decade ago.
Walker, who last saw Shamar when he and his family came to her house for dinner a week ago, told the police that he had acted normally at the time.
“I was getting up this morning to make myself some coffee, and I got the call ... My babies—my babies are gone," she said, lamenting the loss of the children.
Shamar's co-worker at UPS, Willie Vasher, had also claimed that he seemed to be a normal family man, but had an usual tic—a tendency to pull out his hair throughout the day, due to stress, which had resulted in a bald spot on his head.
Elkins has at least two prior convictions to his name—one for driving while intoxicated in 2016, and a second for the illegal use of weapons in 2019—the report added, as the investigation into the gruesome murder continues.
