A gunman who killed his seven children and one other child victim “lost his mind” after his wife asked for a divorce, his family has claimed.
Shamar Elkins, 31, shot 10 people on Sunday, including his children, their cousin, his wife, and one other woman, after becoming increasingly unstable following his separation from his wife, according to those close to him.
Elkins shared four children with his wife and three children with another woman. All the children were together at one house, it is understood.
Troy Brown, Elkins’ brother-in-law, told The Washington Post that Elkins had been “distraught” in a recent conversation about his marriage breaking down.
“After the first argument about the divorce, he acted like he was losing his mind,” Mr Brown said on Sunday.
“He was upset about it. I would talk to him, and he would tell me, ‘Bro, I don’t want to lose my wife.’”
The three boys and five girls were identified by their mothers as 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.
He also critically injured two other women, including his wife. The couple were due in court over their divorce on Monday, according to Crystal Brown, a cousin of one of the wounded women.
Elkins was shot dead by police after trying to flee the scene through Bossier City in a stolen car.
Before the incident, Elkins had been struggling with mental health issues. His parents said they had been feeling uneasy about their son in recent weeks.
On Easter Sunday, he called his mother, Mahelia Elkins, and his stepfather, Marcus Jackson, both of whom said in interviews that he sounded despondent.
Elkins told his stepfather that he was drowning in “dark thoughts”, according to the New York Times.
“I told him, ‘You can beat stuff, man. I don’t care what you’re going through, you can beat it,’” Mr Jackson said. “Then I remember him telling me: ‘Some people don’t come back from their demons.’”
Elkins served in the Louisiana army national guard from August 2013 to August 2020, leaving the army at a private, entry-level rank.
He had been known to the police and was arrested and convicted in 2019 of illegally using a gun. Officials were not aware of any other domestic violence issues.