Authorities revealed that Shamar Elkins, the Louisiana shooter responsible for gunning down eight children on Sunday, had a prior history of weapons charges. Nearly a decade ago, he was involved in a gunfire incident near a school.
According to Caddo District Court records, Elkins, 31, was arrested on March 18, 2019, facing charges of illegal use of weapons and carrying a firearm on school property. These details were reported by the New York Times.
Reports indicate that during a road-rage confrontation near a Shreveport high school, the Army veteran pulled a .9mm handgun from his waistband and discharged five shots at a vehicle.
A stray bullet from this incident was discovered near Caddo Parish Magnet High School, around 300 feet away, narrowly missing children playing outside.
The altercation began when another driver brandished a silver handgun at Elkins, who was then an active member of the Louisiana Army National Guard, as per the police account.
Elkins fired as the other driver attempted to flee the scene.
No injuries resulted from the incident, and although Elkins initially fled, he was later apprehended and charged by police.
In October 2019, Elkins entered a plea agreement, admitting guilt to illegal use of weapons while the charge for carrying a firearm on school property was dropped. He received an 18-month probation sentence and left the National Guard in August 2020 after serving seven years without deployment.
Elkins served as a signal support system specialist in the Guard, never advancing beyond the rank of private.
His only other known criminal record was a 2016 conviction for driving while intoxicated in Shreveport.
Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon stated there were no known domestic violence issues associated with Elkins.
Investigators are still probing the reasons behind Elkins’s massacre of seven of his children, marking the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. in over two years.
In addition to the children, he also killed one of their young cousins and wounded his wife and girlfriend.
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 discovered deceased inside their Shreveport home.
A 13-year-old boy managed to escape the scene with a broken leg by leaping from the roof during the attack.
With Post wires
