Attendees pray at the conclusion of a news conference about the children killed during a mass shooting the day before in Shreveport, La., Monday, April 20, 2026.
Police say a Louisiana man who fatally shot seven of his children and another child used an an assault-style weapon despite a 2019 felony firearms conviction. The attack early Sunday in Shreveport, Louisiana, was one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings in recent years. The shooter, identified as Shamar Elkins, died after a police pursuit that ended with officers firing on him. Louisiana law says a person convicted of certain violent felonies are banned from having a gun for at least 10 years. Officials say the children who died ranged in age from 3 to 11 years old. Police say two people escaped by jumping from a roof.