The morning of April 19, 2026, in Shreveport’s Cedar Grove neighbourhood began with the sound of rapid gunfire that would forever change multiple families forever. One of the most haunting pieces of evidence from the massacre carried out by 31-year-old Shamar Elkins is the desperate 911 call made by his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh, after she was shot in the face and fled to a neighbour’s house for help.

According to authorities and media outlets that have reviewed the audio, the call is filled with raw panic. Pugh can be heard screaming, breathing heavily, and struggling to form coherent sentences as she tried to alert the dispatcher to the unfolding horror. One dispatcher relayed the information to responding officers: “They have a female with a gunshot wound to the face saying the assailant left the scene… The female is saying there’s nine subjects that live inside the residence, and he may have shot them all.”

The call was placed just minutes after the first shots rang out. Elkins had allegedly shot his wife in the face at one residence before driving to a second home on West 79th Street, where he opened fire on a group of sleeping children. Eight children between the ages of 3 and 11 were killed — seven of them Elkins’ own biological children and one cousin. Two women, including Pugh, were critically wounded but survived after emergency surgery.

A 13-year-old boy who was present during the attack became the sole child survivor after climbing onto the roof in terror and jumping to escape the gunfire. He sustained broken bones but was not shot. Another child was found deceased on the roof after attempting to flee.

The 911 audio has been described as heartbreaking by those who have heard it. Pugh’s voice is reportedly filled with pain and fear as she fights through her injuries to get the words out, desperately trying to convey that her husband had gone on a deadly rampage and that the children inside the home were in mortal danger. The dispatcher’s calm repetition of her fragmented words to officers highlights the unimaginable terror unfolding in real time.

Family members later revealed that Elkins had been struggling with severe mental health issues. On Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, he called his mother and stepfather in tears, confessing he was overwhelmed by “dark thoughts” and suicidal ideation amid ongoing marital problems. His wife had filed for divorce, and the couple was scheduled to appear in court for their divorce hearing the very next day after the shooting. Elkins reportedly told his stepfather, “Some people don’t come back from their demons.”

Police have classified the entire incident as domestic-related. After the shootings, Elkins fled the scene in a carjacked vehicle and was fatally shot by police during a pursuit into Bossier City.

The victims were 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 community remains in deep mourning, with many questioning whether the warning signs — including Elkins’ prior weapons conviction, his expressions of despair, and the escalating divorce — could have been acted upon to prevent the tragedy.

The 911 call stands as a painful, permanent record of a mother’s desperate attempt to save lives while fighting for her own survival. In those frantic seconds, her screams and broken words painted a vivid picture of horror — a father turning his rage on his own family in a domestic dispute that escalated into unimaginable violence.

As investigators continue to analyse the full audio, timeline, and any additional evidence, the focus remains on supporting the surviving family members, the injured women, and especially the young boy whose rooftop jump became an extraordinary act of courage in the midst of nightmare.

For Shaneiqua Pugh and the families shattered that morning, the emotional scars will likely last far longer than the physical wounds. The chilling 911 call serves as a stark reminder of how quickly a domestic crisis can spiral into irreversible loss — and how one woman’s terrified voice became the first desperate cry for help in a tragedy that should never have happened.