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Investigators probe how suspect in Louisiana children's killings obtained a gun.
Summary
Officials say federal agents are investigating how a former National Guardsman suspected of killing eight children in Shreveport obtained an assault-style pistol, despite a 2019 illegal firearms conviction that likely barred him from owning weapons.
Content
Officials reported that federal agents are investigating how a suspect in a Shreveport, Louisiana, mass killing obtained the firearm used in the incident. The suspect, identified by authorities as Shamar Elkins, is accused of killing eight children and of shooting two adult women, one of whom is reported to be his wife. Police noted Elkins had a 2019 conviction for illegal use of a firearm, which they say likely prohibited him from legally possessing weapons. Authorities also say the suspect fled, was involved in an officer-involved exchange during a pursuit, and later died; the cause of his death is under investigation.
Reported facts:
- The suspect is identified as Shamar Elkins, who served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from 2013 to 2020.
- Eight children were killed in the incident, and two adult women were reported seriously injured.
- Elkins had a 2019 conviction for illegal use of a firearm, which police say likely made him ineligible to possess weapons legally.
- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is probing how the assault-style pistol was obtained, and local authorities are reviewing the circumstances of the suspect's death.
Summary:
The events have prompted both federal and local reviews into how the suspect accessed the weapon and into the circumstances surrounding the killings and the suspect's death. Undetermined at this time.
