The funeral came three weeks after police said a father killed seven of his children and their cousin.
SHREVEPORT, La. — Hundreds of mourners gathered Saturday at Summer Grove Baptist Church to remember eight children killed in a domestic mass shooting that police say was carried out by their father in Shreveport’s Cedar Grove neighborhood.
The funeral marked the public farewell for children ages 3 to 11 whose deaths stunned Louisiana and drew national attention to a violent attack inside one family. Police said Shamar Elkins killed seven of his children and their cousin April 19, wounded two women and later died after fleeing into Bossier City. Federal investigators are still tracing how he got the gun used in the shooting.
The service began with mourners filing past eight white caskets, each placed near a large photo of a child. Gold crowns and white flowers rested on the caskets as a choir and solo singers performed. Bishop Bernard Kimble, senior pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church, opened the service with words of faith for the grieving families. “In spite of how you may be feeling today, we still need to know that God is still good,” Kimble said. Pastor and gospel singer Kim Burrell also spoke and sang during the service, telling relatives that the children’s lives would not be forgotten. Many in the church wore white, pink, purple or blue, colors the family had requested for the funeral.
The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office identified the children 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. Officials said the group included seven siblings and one cousin. Funeral materials shared at the service described the children as bright, loving and full of energy. Some were remembered by nicknames used by relatives, including Jayla as “Jaybae,” Kayla as “K-Mae” and Markaydon as “K-Bug.” The funeral pamphlet said Khedarrion had “a sweet and loving heart,” while Layla was remembered as bold, smart and full of love.
Police said the April 19 attack began as a domestic dispute and unfolded across two homes. Investigators said Elkins first went to a home on Harrison Street, where a woman was shot and critically wounded. He then went to a home on West 79th Street, where the children were killed and another woman was shot, police said. A 12-year-old girl escaped by jumping from the roof of the home, according to local reports and police accounts. Shreveport police said Elkins fled, stole a vehicle and led officers into Bossier City. Authorities have said it remains unclear whether Elkins was killed by police gunfire or by a self-inflicted gunshot.
Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon said after the shooting that investigators were working through a scene of deep loss and had to do right by the victims. Mayor Tom Arceneaux said in an April 19 statement that the tragedy reached beyond one family and affected first responders, neighbors and the broader city. At Saturday’s service, Arceneaux said the children’s presence had been a gift. “May we honor them by carrying forward the gentleness, joy and love they so freely shared,” he said. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry ordered U.S. and state flags flown at half-staff at the Capitol and state government buildings in honor of the children.
The shooting also brought new scrutiny to Elkins’ record and the gun used in the attack. The Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office said Elkins had a 2019 conviction for illegal use of a weapon and a 2015 first-offense misdemeanor DWI conviction. Prosecutors said the 2019 case came from a confrontation in which self-defense claims could not be disproven, and that Elkins completed probation. Federal authorities later charged Charles Ford, 56, in connection with the firearm investigators say Elkins used. U.S. Attorney Zachary Keller said Ford was indicted on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and making false statements to federal agents.
Federal officials also announced an indictment against Michael Mayence, whose Bossier City home investigators said Elkins went to after the shooting. Mayence was charged with illegally possessing firearms while under a domestic violence court order, officials said. ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson said agents have been examining how the weapon reached Elkins, including interviews with people who spoke with him before the attack. The charges against Ford and Mayence are separate from the killings and remain allegations. Authorities have not said the federal cases are closed, and investigators are continuing to examine the weapon’s path.
The church service mixed grief, prayer and music before the children were taken to Forest Park West Cemetery. U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields said the pain reached far beyond Shreveport, while Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor read the children’s names. Councilman James Green urged mourners to remember the children’s lives as well as the tragedy. One of the children’s mothers kissed all eight caskets goodbye during the service, a moment that brought many in the church to tears. Afterward, horse-drawn carriages carried the caskets to a private burial, where flowers, photos and the chosen colors filled the cemetery grounds.
The eight children were buried Saturday after weeks of vigils, visitation and public mourning. The federal gun cases tied to the investigation remain pending, and Shreveport police have said the broader review of the April 19 shooting is ongoing.
Author note: Last updated May 10, 2026.