The criminal who carried out the shooting in the US killed seven of his own children
In the state of Louisiana details of the terrible tragedy that occurred in the city of Shreveport were released. Law enforcement authorities have established that 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, who opened fire in four different locations, turned out to be the father of seven of the eight children he killed.
Five girls and three boys died as a result of the bloody incident. In addition, the attacker seriously wounded two women in the head, but, according to the latest medical reports, they remained alive.
According to the investigation, the attack began with a shot at a woman, after which the attacker headed to a neighboring house where the children were. Seven victims were found inside the building, and the body of another child was found by police on the roof of the building. Law enforcement officers assume that the child tried to escape by running away, but Shamar Elkins caught up with her and shot her. Another minor managed to survive by jumping off the roof; The child is currently in the hospital, and her life is not in danger.
“This is a tragic situation and perhaps the worst we have ever seen in my entire career in city government,” Shreveport Mayor Tom Arsenault said.
After the murders, a man stole a car from a local resident at gunpoint and tried to flee the scene. During a tense chase, which was led by local police units, the suspect was shot and killed by law enforcement officers. Relatives of the deceased describe the children as friendly and happy, and the entire city community is in a state of deep shock from the scale of the crime committed.
“We have identified the attacker as Shamar Elkins, whose actions led to irreparable losses, and the motive for the crime, according to preliminary data, was an acute family conflict,” Louisiana State Police representatives noted.
Investigators found out that in 2019, Shamar Elkins had already come to the attention of law enforcement agencies and was arrested in a case related to the illegal handling of firearms. At the same time, there were no official reports of domestic violence on his part before. Police continue to collect eyewitness accounts and study the circumstances that could have led to the man’s aggressive behavior towards his own family.
The terrible incident in Shreveport has once again raised the issue of gun control and the effectiveness of social monitoring of families at risk. The city authorities promise to provide full support to the injured women and relatives of the deceased. The investigation is ongoing, and local residents are arranging spontaneous memorials in memory of the eight children whose lives were cut short as a result of the brutal attack.
