Seven of the eight victims were the children of the shooter, Shamar Elkins, who went on a killing spree across three residences on April 19.
This Mother’s Day weekend, a community in Shreveport, Louisiana, gathered for the funeral of the eight children who were killed in a shooting spree in April.
Shreveport Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor, Councilman James Green, Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux, and former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords were in attendance for the service at Summer Grove Baptist Church, according to the Associated Press. There were eight white caskets, one for each child, with gold crowns and bouquets of white flowers placed on top of them. Next to each casket was a photo of the slain child.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry ordered the U.S. and Louisiana state flags to be flown at half-staff for one week to honor the children.
Pastor and gospel singer Kim Burrell spoke at the service, encouraging the grieving collective to continue having faith.
“To ask the question, ‘Why is this fair, God? How could you, Lord?’ He’s still God,” she said. “The same God that healed you from the stuff that you don’t want to tell nobody about. But he is a God that doesn’t have to give us all the clues. Just know that he makes no mistakes.”
The tragedy is the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since 2024. Seven of the eight victims, whose ages ranged from three to 11, were siblings and children of the shooter, 31-year-old Shamar Elkins.
TheGrio previously reported that Elkins went on a killing spree across three residences on April 19, where he shot and killed his seven children execution style, and killed another child, a cousin or a family friend of the siblings, who was trying to escape. Another child who was at the incident was able to jump off the roof and survive.
Elkins also shot his wife, 34-year-old Shaneiqua Pugh, who was reportedly planning to divorce him, and another woman who was his girlfriend. Both women suffered serious injuries. Elkins fled and died after a police pursuit. He may have either been killed by a police officer or by a self-inflicted gunshot.
Shreveport authorities are investigating the murders as a case of domestic violence, one of several fatal cases that have made national headlines recently. Speaking to the press last month, Councilwoman Taylor urged the community to take domestic violence seriously, saying, “This is not a freaking joke. This is real, and this is the result when someone snaps.”
“I’m going to ask the community, along with prayer, with every mental health consultant, counselor that is out here, this family and this community, need you. I need you. Because how do we get through this? How do we get to the next level?” she said. “It is real, and this is wrong, and these are the tragedies when there are domestic violence or domestic disturbances in our community.”
