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8 kids massacred by deranged Army vet dad Shamar Elkins in Louisiana shooting ID’d

Nypost · · 218 words · By Caitlin McCormack
Domestic Violence/Family Tragedy
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What to know about Domestic Violence/Family Tragedy

8 kids massacred by deranged Army vet dad Shamar Elkins in Louisiana shooting ID’d The eight young children gunned down by a deranged Army veteran and father during a harrowing domestic violence massacre in Louisiana early Sunday have been identified.

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 1
Topics 1

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

8 kids massacred by deranged Army vet dad Shamar Elkins in Louisiana shooting ID’d The eight young children gunned down by a deranged Army veteran and father during a harrowing domestic violence massacre in Louisiana early Sunday have been identified.

Why it matters

The children were formally identified by their mothers, according to a news release from the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office.

Common ground

All eight — five girls and three boys — were killed by 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, when he went on a rampage through Shreveport following an argument with his wife around 6 a.m.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/19/us-news/8-kids-massacred-by-deranged-army-vet-sham…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “It’s unclear which was the cousin among the eight dead.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that it was unclear which of the eight deceased children was the cousin is not independently corroborated by the provided evidence. The web search results only provide general information about the incident.
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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of UNCLEAR is not clear. How to use unclear in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unclear
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web search NEUTRAL — If you don't explain something accurately, it will be unclear to the person who's trying to understand. And when a photograph is badly out of focus, it's also unclear — you can't quite see the details…
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/unclear
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web search NEUTRAL — UNCLEAR definition: 1. not obvious or easy to see or know: 2. If you are unclear about something, you are not certain…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/unclear
help
Claim 2: “Elkins, who was later killed by police, also shot and wounded two women during his murderous rage.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided web search results or Wikipedia entries to confirm that Shamar Elkins shot and wounded two women before being killed by police. The evidence count for this claim is 0, and no sources were cited.
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Claim 3: “The children were formally identified by their mothers, according to a news release from the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results state that the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office identified the children, and specifically one source mentions the identification was done by their mothers. This is reported by at least two independent web sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The prosecution of Rodricus Crawford in Caddo Parish, Louisiana in 2013, attracted national media attention. Crawford, a black man, was convicted and sentenced to death that year for allegedly suffoca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecution_of_Rodricus_Crawfo…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sheriffs in the United States are the chiefs of law enforcement of a county. A sheriff is usually either elected by the populace or appointed by an elected body. Sheriffs' offices are typically taske…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheriffs_in_the_United_States
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tensas Parish (French: Paroisse des Tensas) is a parish located in the northeastern section of the State of Louisiana; its eastern border is the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 census, the populatio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensas_Parish,_Louisiana
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “All eight — five girls and three boys — were killed by 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, when he went on a rampage through Shreveport following an argument with his wife around 6 a.m. Sunday.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results corroborate that 31-year-old Shamar Elkins killed eight children (five girls and three boys) in Shreveport following an argument with his wife around 6 a.m. Sunday.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Survivor is an American reality television show, based on the Swedish program Expedition Robinson. Contestants are referred to as "castaways", and they compete against one another to become the "Sole …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Survivor_(American_TV_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of mass or spree killers in the United States. A mass murderer is typically defined as someone who kills three or more people in one incident, with no "cooling off" period, not includin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rampage_killers_in_the…
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web search NEUTRAL — All eight — five girls and three boys — were killed by 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, when he went on a rampage through Shreveport following an argument with his wife around 6 a.m. Sunday.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/19/us-news/8-kids-massacred-by-de…
+ 2 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “The eight young children gunned down by a deranged Army veteran and father during a harrowing domestic violence massacre in Louisiana early Sunday have been identified.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report that eight children were killed in a domestic violence massacre in Louisiana on Sunday. While the specific details of identification are not confirmed across all sources, the core fact of eight children being killed in this manner is reported by multiple independent sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Central Time Zone is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, and a few Caribbean islands. It is one hour behind the Eastern Time Zone. Daylight saving time is o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Time_Zone
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Money in the Bank, also promoted as Money in the Bank: New Orleans, is an upcoming professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It will be the 17th annua…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_in_the_Bank_(2026)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sunday Silence (March 25, 1986 – August 19, 2002) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In 1989, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but failed to complete the Triple Cr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Silence
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “Elkins fathered seven of the children and was an uncle to the eighth victim, according to local officials.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results state that Shamar Elkins was an Army veteran and that many of the victims were believed to be his children, supporting the claim that he fathered most of them and was related to the others.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of people reported killed by non-military law enforcement officers in the United States in April 2026, whether in the line of duty or not, and regardless of reason or method. The listin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_killings_by_law_enforc…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of mass or spree killers in the United States. A mass murderer is typically defined as someone who kills three or more people in one incident, with no "cooling off" period, not includin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rampage_killers_in_the…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On April 19, 2026, a mass shooting occurred in the Cedar Grove neighborhood of Shreveport, Louisiana, United States. Eight children between the ages of one and 12 were killed and two women were injure…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Shreveport_shooting
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 7: “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 were all found dead inside their home in Shreveport.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific list of names and ages provided (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) appears only in the context of the claim itself and is not independently corroborated by the provided web search results, which only mention the general count of eight children.
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web search NEUTRAL — About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocbLw49Or44
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web search NEUTRAL — Shayla Elkins, 5. Kayla Pugh, 6.Elkins was shot in the 400 block of Brompton Lane. Gunfire was exchanged between police and Elkins. Police say it’s unclear at this time whether Elkins died at his own …
https://www.ksla.com/2026/04/19/eight-shreveport-children-de…
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web search NEUTRAL — TikTok video from Kayla Pugh (@kayla.pugh6): “”. original sound - SunGodRa.TikTok video from Laylahughes (@layla_hughes1710): “”. Use this sound if sandy_clarkson9 is attractive - Sandy.
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/layla-pugh
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Claim 8: “One of the children was killed on the roof while trying to escape, police said.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results report that one child was killed while attempting to escape from the roof.
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web search NEUTRAL — Cops found seven of the murdered children in one house — while the eighth child killed appeared to have futilely tried to escape off the roof on the back of the house when he was shot, Bordelon ...
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/gunman-kills-8-kids-inc…
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web search NEUTRAL — The father and the child, who live on the second floor, made it up onto the roof of the deli, from where the father was able to drop the child an estimated 12 feet to a police officer below ...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/occupants-vernon-st-apartment-hou…
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web search NEUTRAL — Breaking news, live coverage, investigations, analysis, video, photos and opinions from The Washington Post. Subscribe for the latest on U.S. and international news ...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
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Claim 9: “Shreveport Police Department spokesman Christopher Bordelon told NBC News that most of the victims were shot in the head while they slept.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results attribute the statement that victims were shot in the head while sleeping to police spokespersons (Chris Bordelon), corroborating the core claim.
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web search NEUTRAL — The victims ranged in age from 1 to about 14 years old, said Shreveport, La., police spokesperson Chris Bordelon. A total of 10 people were shot.
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/19/nx-s1-5790483/mass-shooting-e…
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web search NEUTRAL — Eleven people were shot in total, and the eight children who were killed ranged in age from 18 months to 12 years old, Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Christopher Bordelon said in a news ...
https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/breaking/2026/04/…
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web search NEUTRAL — At least eight children were found fatally shot early Sunday in a home in Shreveport, La., after police investigated what they said was a domestic violence call, according to authorities. The incident…
https://abcnews.com/US/8-children-fatally-shot-louisiana-dom…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.