Louisiana gunman who murdered his seven children and nephew told family exactly what he was going to do THREE YEARS ago

By NATASHA ANDERSON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:39, 21 April 2026 | Updated: 13:52, 21 April 2026 A Louisiana father who executed his seven children and nephew outlined the very plot he planned to carry out three years ago, it has emerged. Shamar Elkins, 31, opened fire on the children in his Shreveport home early Sunday morning after getting into an argument with his estranged wife Shaneiqua Pugh. Elkins had previously warned Pugh that if she tried to leave him 'I'll kill you, my kids and myself,' his adoptive mother Betty Walker told The New York Times. He made the eerie statement three years ago after Pugh told him that she was considering a separation, Walker recalled.   The couple had been sitting together on the couch as their daughters played outside. Walker was cooking in the kitchen, but dropped what she was doing to interject. 'Don't think like that,' Walker said she told Elkins. But Pugh rushed to his defense, saying Elkins was 'just playing.' Walker, who has now been replaying the conversation in her head, said she told the couple: 'Well, don't play like that.' Walker raised Elkins for his biological mother, who was a teenager and battling a crack cocaine addiction at the time of his birth. She said she 'never thought' her son would 'go through killing himself and killing these kids.'   Shamar Elkins, with his seven children on Easter, executed his children during a shooting rampage early Sunday morning Sariahh, 11, Khedarrion, 6, and five-year-old Braylon Snow were killed by their father Shamar Elkins. Thier mother Christina Snow, not pictured, was also shot during the rampage Elkins – who reportedly struggled with poor mental health and suicidal ideation - snapped and killed their four daughters; Jayla Elkins, 3, Shayla Elkins, 5, Kayla Pugh, 6 and Layla Pugh, 7, in an 'execution style' rampage on Sunday. He also gunned down the three children he fathered with a woman called Christina Snow, 31; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and five-year-old Braylon Snow. Elkins' final child victim was Markaydon Pugh, the 10-year-old son of Pugh's sister Keosha and her partner Troy Brown. The murderer then turned the gun on Pugh, shooting her as many as nine times after having already shot Snow in a separate property nearby.   Both Pugh and Snow are expected to recover from their injuries. Keosha is currently undergoing surgery on her hip and pelvis, which she fractured in leaping for her life off the roof of the family's home.  Elkins was fatally shot by police during a vehicle chase. Authorities have not yet provided a motive for the killings, which remain under investigation. The killer previously served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from August 2013 to August 2020 as a Signal Support System Specialist and a Fire Support Specialist.  At the time of the shooting, Elkins was reportedly battling 'dark thoughts' and had been stressed about his relationship with Pugh, who sought a divorce.  Elkins, 31, opened fire on his family at their shared home in Shreveport, Louisiana on Sunday around 6am. A sea of floral tributes and balloons has been laid on the front lawn Haunting Daily Mail photographs show the family home studded with at least six bullet holes Walker said that he was taking medicine and receiving counseling at a local Veterans Affairs hospital, but was unsure how frequently he was meeting with his therapist. He reportedly called his biological mother, Mahelia Elkins, and stepfather, Marcus Jackson, in tears over Easter and told them that he wanted to end his life. 'I told him, "You can beat stuff, man. I don't care what you're going through, you can beat it,"' Jackson told the newspaper. 'Then I remember him telling me: "Some people don't come back from their demons."' The couple had been together for 10 years and married on April 9, 2024.  A family member previously told the Daily Mail that Pugh planned to divorce Elkins after learning of his alleged infidelity with another woman weeks prior. That relative even claimed that Elkins was seeing sex workers up until a month before his killer rampage. Walker, in her interview with the Times, said that both Elkins and Pugh had accused each other of infidelity and alleged that financial struggles were one of the biggest stressors on their relationship. The harrowing tragedy has left both the family and Shreveport community reeling with grief. Elkins opened fire after getting in a fight with his wife Shaneiqua Pugh, seen with their daughters Kayla (left) and Layla (right) in 2019 Shaneiqua Pugh, right, and Shamar Elkins had been together for 10 years and married on April 9, 2024. They were fighting about his alleged infidelity on the day of the murders A teacher at the local preschool where at least one of Elkins' children was enrolled, said five-year-old Braylon's classmates cannot comprehend losing their friend. 'Braylon, he's not here,' Johnnie L. Cochran Head Start teacher Angela Hall recalled one of her students saying Monday.  Each day, Hall - who said she is numb and heartbroken after the shooting - instructs her students to look around for friends who aren't there. 'When they come back tomorrow, we can tell them, "Hey, we missed you, we're glad you're back,"' she tells her class. But Hall wasn't ready to tell the students that the boy she described as a 'cool little dude' wasn't returning. She said she kept circle-time moving, and lasted until noon before having to go home. 'I'm no good to my babies right now because I just feel like I need to be in a moment of silence and just pray,' she said. Just last Thursday, she pulled Snow aside during morning drop-off, boasting that Braylon was writing his first and last name.  Braylon also was getting so independent, squirting syrup for his pancakes onto his plate by himself. He didn't even need a reminder to wash his hands. Shamar Elkins (pictured center, surrounded by children) was fatally shot by police during a vehicle chase after he carried the attack Family members claim Elkins, seen with his wife Shaneiqua Pugh, had a history of infidelity  'Braylon doesn't give me any problems,' she told his mother. Braylon greeted Hall - known to her students as 'Mrs. Hall' - each day with a small wave. 'He was for the majority of the time kind of a quiet little soul in the classroom,' she said. 'When he did get a little extra energy or something, it was just a joy to see him smile and laugh.' Hall also knew one of Braylon's brothers. The boy had been a Head Start student at the school last year. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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