Shreveport, Louisiana shooting: Timeline of events
Louisiana police give update after 8 children killed
In a devastating act of domestic violence that unfolded across two homes in a Shreveport neighborhood, a Louisiana gunman killed eight children, seven of whom were his own, according to local officials. The Associated Press reports that the attack is one of the nation's deadliest mass shootings in more than two years, and the community has reacted with shock and grief. Shreveport police spokesperson Chris Bordelon provided an update earlier in the day with more information on what has been described as a mass domestic shooting.
SHREVEPORT, Louisiana - If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. The free service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Every call is confidential, and you can remain anonymous.
A Louisiana father fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own, in an attack on his family Sunday morning that stretched across two houses in a Shreveport neighborhood.
Two women, including the gunman's wife who was the mother of their children, were also shot and critically wounded, according to Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon. Officials said the children — who were all killed in the same house — ranged in age from 3 to 11 years old.
The attack was the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. in more than two years.
Here’s a look at the timeline of events:
Shreveport, Louisiana mass shooting timeline
Timeline:
5:55 a.m. ET: Shreveport police received a call just before 6 a.m. Eastern Time regarding a disturbance at a residence in the 300 block of West 79th Street. The caller stated that they were on top of a house and that a suspect was inside and that a male had been shot.
5:58 a.m. ET: Three minutes later, dispatch received an additional call indicating the suspect was a relative of the caller.
5:59 a.m. ET: A minute later, dispatch was advised that approximately nine individuals resided at the location.
6:00 a.m. ET: The call further stated that the suspect, identified as Elkins, had shot everyone inside the home.
6:01 a.m. ET: One minute later, the caller advised that she and her children had fled from the roof and were in the backyard.
6:03 a.m. ET: Officers arrived on scene.
6:05 a.m. ET: Officers made contact with the caller at the residence.
6:07 a.m. ET: A second call was received regarding a shooting in the 500 block of Harrison Street. The caller stated that her boyfriend had shot her, taken her three children, and fled the scene.
6:08 a.m. ET: The victim also identified the suspect as Elkins.
6:10 a.m. ET: Dispatch linked the Harrison Street shooting with the shooting on West 79th Street, confirming that they were all related.
6:15 a.m. ET: officers received information that the suspect had carjacked a red Kia Sportage on West 79th.
6:18 a.m. ET: The traffic units observed that this particular vehicle was traveling southbound on Interstate 49. The officers were advised that the vehicle was crossing the Red River bridge into Bossier City.
6:20 a.m. ET: Officers received information that the children taken from the Harrison Street resident may be inside of the fleeing vehicle.
6:23 a.m. ET: officers were advised that the vehicle was exiting near Swan Lake area.
6:25 a.m. ET: Officers located the injured victims from the Harrison Street shooting.
6:29 a.m. ET: Officers made contact with the suspect through an exchange of gunfire.
6:30 a.m. ET: Officers confirmed contact with the suspect in the 400 block of Brompton Lane.
6:40 a.m. ET: officers were advised that the suspect’s vehicle was empty and no children were located inside.
6:43 a.m. ET: Officers cleared the residence of West 79th Street, where multiple deceased victims were located.
7:03 a.m. ET: Suspect Shamar Elkins was pronounced deceased at the scene on Brompton Lane.
7:14 a.m. ET: The Shreveport Police Department contacted the Louisiana State Police Investigation Division, and they began their deployment to the Bossier City address to begin to investigate.
8 children killed overnight in mass domestic shooting
The backstory:
It was the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.
RELATED: Shreveport, Louisiana survivors escaped via the roof and called 911: police
"This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had," said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. "It’s a terrible morning."
The house where a mass shooting took place is seen in Shreveport, Louisiana, on April 19, 2026. Eight children were killed in a shooting spree early April 19 in the southern US state of Louisiana, in what police said appears to have been an incident
Hours after the shooting, mourners gathered outside the single-story house on 79th Street and laid flowers. One door appeared stained with blood. Later that evening at a nearby prayer vigil, Kimberlin Jackson joined other members of the community who lit candles for the victims in a parking lot.
"It just makes you take your children and hug them and hold them and tell them how much you love them," she said.
If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. The free service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Every call is confidential, and you can remain anonymous.
The Source: The information for this story was provided by a press conference by officials on April 20, 2026. Previous FOX Local reporting contributed. This story was reported from Los Angeles.