Shamar Elkins, a deranged Army vet father who gunned down his seven children and their cousin during a horrific shooting spree in Louisiana over the weekend, made a chilling confession just weeks before the killings, according to reports.
The New York Times reported that Elkins confessed to family members he was drowning in “dark thoughts” telling his stepdad that some people “don’t come back from their demons.”
According to the report, on Easter Sunday, Elkins called his mother, Mahelia Elkins, and his stepfather, Marcus Jackson, and told them he was drowning in “dark thoughts,” wanted to end his life, and that his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh, wanted a divorce.
“I told him, ‘You can beat stuff, man. I don’t care what you’re going through, you can beat it,’” Jackson told The Times.
“Then I remember him telling me: ‘Some people don’t come back from their demons.’”
Elkins killed eight children — five girls and three boys ages 3 to 11 — and seriously wounded two women believed to be his wife and girlfriend when he went on a shooting rampage through Shreveport following an argument with his spouse around 6 a.m. Sunday.
The victims killed by Elkins have been identified 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. Seven of the eight were his own children, and the eighth was their cousin.
They were all found dead inside their home in Shreveport.
Most of the victims were shot in the head while they slept, Shreveport Police Department spokesman Christopher Bordelon told NBC News.
One child was killed on the roof while trying to escape, police said.
Mahelia Elkins said she was unclear what problems her son and his wife, who were married in 2024 and had four kids together, were dealing with, The Times also reported.
However, a relative of one of the wounded women said the couple was in the middle of separation proceedings and was due in court on Monday.
They had been arguing about their relationship coming to an end when Elkins — who was later killed by cops — opened fire, Crystal Brown told the Associated Press (AP).
Elkins 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.
A UPS co-worker described Elkins as a devoted dad, but said he often seemed stressed and erratic and would pull his hair out, creating a lasting bald spot, the publication reported.
Elkins had previous run-ins with the law, including for driving while intoxicated in 2016 and for the illegal use of weapons in 2019, according to reports.
In March 2019, a police report detailed that the National Guard vet had pulled a 9 millimeter handgun from his waistband and shot at a vehicle five times after a driver pulled a handgun on him — with one of the bullets being discovered near a school where children were playing.
This is a developing story.