DOJ Detains Suspect Linked to Firearm Used in Tragic Incident Involving Eight Children

The Justice Department revealed on Tuesday that a 56-year-old individual from Shreveport has been taken into custody in connection with the tragic mass shooting that took place in Louisiana over the weekend.

Authorities allege that Charles Ford, who is barred from firearm ownership due to his criminal record, had the rifle that was eventually used by a father to end the lives of eight children. Investigators were able to trace the weapon back to him.

The violent incident, characterized as a domestic assault, erupted on Sunday. Shamar Elkins, 31, is said to have acquired the firearm before embarking on a multi-location shooting spree. This rampage concluded with police shooting Elkins in Shreveport. Seven of the slain children, aged between 1 and 14, were reportedly his own.

Prosecutors also accuse Ford of misleading law enforcement regarding the firearm, compounding his charges of illegal possession.

A family photo showing Shamar Elkins. (Facebook/Shamar Elkins)

“Holding people accountable does not stop with the person who pulled the trigger but also includes those who give access to and proliferate firearms that are later used in violent crime,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson said. 

The DOJ released a photo of the rifle used in the mass shooting, adding that the ATF and the Shreveport Police Department both conducted a firearms trace on it.

Ford was later identified as the original purchaser of the firearm and is accused of giving it to Elkins, authorities said.

When confronted by law enforcement, Ford initially lied to ATF agents about possessing the firearm, claiming he never had it.

He later admitted to the possession, stating that he kept it under a seat and believed Elkins took it, according to authorities.

Ford faces up to 15 years in federal prison on the felon-in-possession charge and up to five years on a false statement charge. 

A rifle was confiscated from the scene of a deadly mass shooting that left eight children dead in Louisiana. (United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana)

United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller said the department hopes to hold accountable the person who gave Elkins access to the firearm. 

“Elkins’ death means that our community will never see him face justice. Our hope, as we continue to investigate and prosecute this case alongside our law enforcement partners, is that holding the person whose gun Elkins used to perpetrate the crime accountable will give some small bit of solace to our Shreveport community,” Keller said. 

“Our law enforcement partners are investigating every angle of how this tragedy came to occur, and this case arises from that investigation—in particular, how Elkins secured a firearm that he used to execute his own children,” he added. 

Shamar Elkins, 31, is pictured in a family photo (Facebook/Shamar Elkins)

An Army official told Fox News Digital that Elkins previously served in the Louisiana Army National Guard.

He reportedly shot several people in addition to the eight deceased victims during the attack, including the mother of his children, who is expected to survive. 

Separately, another woman suffered life-threatening injuries, while a teenage victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. 

Following the shootings, investigators said Elkins fled the scene, carjacked a vehicle and led officers on a police chase.

The incident ended in Bossier City, where Elkins was shot and killed by police.

Sunday’s shooting marks one of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States in recent years.