A man in Shreveport, Louisiana killed eight children Sunday in a shooting that authorities described as a domestic violence incident. He was later killed by police after he fled in a carjacked vehicle, officials said.
We don't normally give this particular kind of mass shooting more than a passing thought (as soon as we hear the word "domestic", we tend to shrug and turn away), but maybe it's time we do.
The suspect's wife and a woman identified as his girlfriend were also shot and seriously injured in the violence, which occurred at two homes in the early morning, police said.
Their mothers identified the children 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, the office said.
“I just don’t know what to say. My heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith told reporters. “I just cannot begin to imagine how such an event can occur.”
Easy access to guns, that's how.
Shamar Elkins was identified by police as the shooter and sole suspect. Seven of the eight children who were killed were his, police spokesperson Christopher Bordelon said. One of the children was a cousin, according to the coroner's office.
Can we talk about guns and domestic violence? The fact is, men who have an unstable separation or divorce should not be allowed to possess guns. But this is America, and so this man had easy access to his weapon of mass destruction and used it to express his disapproval of his current situation. Some people use them because a teenager is playing loud music, or because someone cut them off in traffic.
Anyone who upsets a gun owner MUST BE PUNISHED. And thanks to a completely lawless interpretation of the Second Amendment, odd are, sooner or later, they will.
