The eight young children gunned down by their deranged Army veteran father and uncle during a harrowing domestic violence massacre in Louisiana early Sunday have been identified.
The children were formally identified by their mothers, according to a news release from the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office. All eight — five girls and three boys — were killed by 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, when he went on a rampage through Shreveport following an argument with his wife around 6 a.m. Sunday.
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 were all found dead inside their home in Shreveport.
Elkins fathered seven of the children and was an uncle to the eighth victim, according to local officials. It’s unclear which of the eight dead was the cousin.
Most of the victims were shot in the head while they slept, Shreveport Police Department spokesman Christopher Bordelon told NBC News.
One child was killed on the roof while trying to escape, police said.
Elkins, who was later killed by police during an attempted carjacking, also shot and wounded two women — the mothers of his children — during his murderous rage.
One victim, Elkins’ wife, was shot in the face at the home with the eight kids, Bordelon told the outlet. The other injured victim is believed to be Elkins’ girlfriend, who was shot in a separate house nearby, he added.
The killer father shared four of the slain children with his wife and three with the other injured woman, according to Crystal Brown, one of the surviving women’s cousins.
Elkins and his wife were in the middle of separation proceedings and were due in court on Monday, Brown told the Associated Press.
The pair was arguing about their relationship when Elkins opened fire, she added.
Brown described all the children as “happy kids, very friendly, very sweet.”
Hours before the killings, Elkins shared a photo of himself “on a lil 1 on 1 date” with his eldest, Sariahh.
On Easter, he also posted a picture with all seven of his children outside of a church. He wrote that it was his “first time” going to Mass “with all my kids.”
The two surviving mothers are both in critical condition.
