Tipsheet

Shreveport Man Who Murdered Eight Children Was Given Probation on 2019 Gun Charge

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  April 20, 2026 8:30 AM

Yesterday, there was horrific news out of Shreveport, Louisiana. Eight children, ranging in age from one to 14 years old, were shot and killed in what authorities described as a "domestic disturbance." 

The man was later identified as Shamar Elkins, a 31-year-old Army vet and UPS worker. Elkins was the father of seven of the eight children he murdered. As with every high-profile mass shooting, the Democrats took the opportunity to clamor for more gun control before knowing all the facts in the case.

This includes California Governor Gavin Newsom, who blamed the NRA for the crime.

Unfortunately for Gavin and his fellow Democrats, Elkins is yet another case of the Democrats' soft-on-crime policies having tragic, deadly consequences. 

In 2019, Elkins was arrested for illegal use of weapons and carrying a firearm on school property. He reportedly fired five shots at a car outside a Shreveport high school and later pleaded guilty to the weapons charge. The firearm charge was dismissed and Elkins was given probation instead of prison time.

Here's more:

The killer father worked at UPS and served with the Louisiana Army National Guard from August 2013 to August 2020 as a signal support system specialist and fire support specialist, according to the Times.

In March 2019, Elkins was arrested on a charge of illegal use of weapons and carrying a firearm on school property, KTBS reported.

He was just 300 feet away from a Shreveport high school when he fired five rounds at a car — precisely in the direction of the school — as it sped away, according to a police report obtained by the outlet.

He pleaded guilty to the illegal weapons charge in October 2019 and was placed on probation for 18 months. The firearm charge was dismissed.

Sunday’s shooting is now being handled by Louisiana State Police as it crosses parish boundaries.

The firearm charge was a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. The weapons charge he pleaded guilty to was a felony, too.

However, thanks to a loophole in Louisiana law, it seems Elkins wasn't prohibited from owning a firearm. Why? Because of the 2019 case that sentenced him to probation instead of prison. According to the International Business Times, "Under US federal law, gun ownership is typically only barred following a qualifying felony conviction or a specific domestic-violence misdemeanor. Because Elkins' 2019 conviction for illegal use of weapons resulted in probation rather than a prison-eligible felony sentence, his record fell short of the legal thresholds for a permanent firearms ban."

So, once again, if our justice system had put a criminal behind bars and taken his firearms offenses seriously, this wouldn't have happened.

Surely. They'll work this time.

Democrats have no interest in enforcing gun laws or putting criminals behind bars.

Because they have no interest in stopping this gun crime. They want to strip innocent Americans of their Second Amendment rights.

It keeps happening, and Democrats don't seem to care, at all.