Shamar Elkins shared troubling posts about wife, marriage days before Shreveport mass shooting
SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA: Mass shooting suspect Shamar Elkins allegedly hinted at personal turmoil and mental strain in the days and weeks leading up to the attack.
Authorities say Elkins opened fire at three separate addresses shortly after 6 am, Central Time on Sunday.
The victims were all children ranging in age from 3 to 11. There were audible gasps when a police representative read out their ages during a press conference later that day.
The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office identified the victims 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. Seven of the children were siblings, and one was their cousin.
Cryptic posts and signs of strain
In the weeks before the shooting, Elkins’ social media activity painted a strange picture.
On March 12, he posted a cryptic line, “Understand to be misunderstood."
Around the same time, he reshared a question that appeared to hint at trouble in his personal life. “Dads If you could go back in time and have kids with a different woman but still have the same kids, would you do it?” it asked, to which he replied, "Hell yehhhhhhhh I would.”
More recently, he shared what seemed like a wholesome family moment as he posted a photo of himself with seven children, referring to them as “all my kids” after taking them to church for Easter.
“Happy Easter had a wonderful time at church for the first time with all my kids what a blessed day,” he wrote.
But behind that post, Elkins was reportedly fighting demons. According to The New York Times, Elkins admitted in a phone call with his mother and stepfather that he was struggling with “dark thoughts,” was considering ending his life, and that his wife wanted a divorce.
His stepfather, Marcus Jackson, recalled trying to reassure him. “I told him, ‘You can beat stuff, man. I don’t care what you’re going through, you can beat it,’” Jackson said. “Then I remember him telling me: ‘Some people don’t come back from their demons.’”
More concerning posts
Elkins’ social media posts also suggested ongoing mental health struggles.
In an April 9 message, he shared a prayer asking for strength and clarity.
“Dear God, Today I ask You to help me guard my mind and my emotions," it read, “When negativity arises, remind me to say, ‘It does not belong to me, in the name of Jesus.'"
“When depression tries to settle in, when anger rises, when anxiety or panic comes, give me the awareness to recognize what is not from You and the strength to reject it immediately in the name of JESUS," it added.
Elkins previously served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from August 2013 to August 2020, working as a signal support system specialist and fire support specialist. He was also employed at UPS.
His social media activity showed no clear outward break, even in the hours before the violence.
On Saturday, he posted a photo with his eldest daughter during what he described as a one-on-one outing.
“Lol!!!! Took my oldest on a lil 1 on 1 date had to catch her down bad ugh ugh,” he wrote.
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