Shreveport gunman who murdered 8 kids  including 7 of his own  ID’d as Army vet Shamar Elkins who shared post of daughter hours before slaughter 75%

By Joe Marino0% Anthony Blair0%

4/19/2026, 8:48:30 PM

BS Summary: This article contains 21 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Emotion, Unattributed Quote, and Framing Effect, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 36.9% saturation with 223 hits. Analysis detected 1,555 faulty-reasoning hits from 604 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 66.8% and a BS Rank of 75% (5,557 of 21,887 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 74.60% of the article peer group.

The Louisiana gunman who murdered eight children  including seven of his own  before he was killed was a 31-year-old Army vet who posted a picture of himself with one of his daughters hours before Sunday’s massacre. 
Shamar Elkins unleashed his unthinkable carnage at three addresses in Shreveport shortly after 6 a.m. 
Central Time, authorities said. 
The slain victims ranged from 1 to 14, and there was audible gasping as a police rep read out their ages at a press conference Sunday. 
On his Facebook page, Elkins shared a picture of him with his eldest daughter as she ate a burger Saturday, hours before his rampage. 
“Lol!!!! 
Took my oldest on a lil 1 on 1 date had to catch her down bad ugh ugh,” the killer wrote, along with a string of laughing emojis. 
Two weeks ago, Elkins shared a picture of himself posing with seven children, calling them “all my kids,” as he described taking them to church for an Easter service. 
“Happy Easter had a wonderful time at church for the first time with all my kids what a blessed day,” he wrote in the Facebook post. 
But Elkins also hinted at mental-health struggles in another recent Facebook post, where he called for God to “guard” his mind. 
“Dear God, Today I ask You to help me guard my mind and my emotions,” read the post dated April 9. 
“When negativity arises, remind me to say, ‘It does not belong to me, in the name of Jesus,’  he said. 
“When depression tries to settle in, when anger rises, when anxiety or panic comes, give me the awareness to recognize what is not from You and the strength to reject it immediately in the name of JESUS.” 
The mass murderer’s wife previously shared a picture of Elkins in a US Army uniform in 2016, as she awaited his return from active service. 
“Been waiting for yu [sic] 5 more days… And yu all mines. 
Damn bby I gt to fatten yu up,” she wrote at the time. 
In March 2019, three years after completing his service, Elkins was arrested on a charge of illegal use of weapons and carrying a firearm on school property, KTBS reported. 
He was just 300 feet away from a Shreveport high school when he fired five rounds at a car  precisely in the direction of the school  as it sped away, according to a police report obtained by the outlet. 
He pleaded guilty to the illegal weapons charge in October 2019 and was placed on probation for 18 months. 
The firearm charge was dismissed. 
Sunday’s shooting is now being handled by Louisiana State Police as it crosses parish boundaries. 
Louisiana Gov. 
Jeff Landry said he and first lady Sharon were heartbroken over the events. 
“We’re praying for everyone affected. 
We’re deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders working tirelessly on the scene,” Landry wrote on Facebook. 
US House Speaker Mike Johnson, who was born in Shreveport, wrote on X, “Heartbreaking tragedy in Shreveport this morning  8 children were senselessly killed and multiple others were injured. 
“My team is in touch with local law enforcement as more details emerge,” he said. 
“We’re holding the victims, their families and loved ones, and our Shreveport community close in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time. 
And we are grateful to the Shreveport, Bossier, and Louisiana State Police for their swift response,” Johnson added. 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 2.0%California Post: 4.1%Confirmation Bias0.0%This article: 6.3%Joe Marino: 1.3%California Post: 1.4%Anchoring Bias6.3%This article: 16.1%Joe Marino: 5.0%California Post: 4.2%Availability Heuristic16.1%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 1.2%California Post: 1.1%Representativeness Heuristic0.0%This article: 6.8%Joe Marino: 5.5%California Post: 0.8%Hindsight Bias6.8%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 1.1%California Post: 2.2%Overconfidence Bias0.0%This article: 23.0%Joe Marino: 5.6%California Post: 10.3%Framing Effect23.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.9%Loss Aversion0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.6%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.2%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 3.3%Joe Marino: 3.2%California Post: 2.5%Optimism Bias3.3%This article: 2.2%Joe Marino: 0.4%California Post: 1.5%Pessimism Bias2.2%This article: 36.9%Joe Marino: 14.3%California Post: 16.0%Negativity Bias36.9%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 1.7%California Post: 2.4%Self-Serving Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 1.5%California Post: 1.5%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.2%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 4.0%Joe Marino: 0.4%California Post: 1.6%In-Group Bias4.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 1.1%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 3.0%Joe Marino: 1.7%California Post: 3.1%Halo Effect3.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.5%California Post: 0.6%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 8.8%Joe Marino: 1.4%California Post: 1.6%Recency Bias8.8%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.3%California Post: 0.5%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.4%California Post: 0.0%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 2.1%California Post: 2.6%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.5%Straw Man0.0%This article: 2.5%Joe Marino: 2.9%California Post: 4.2%Appeal to Authority2.5%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.2%California Post: 1.5%False Dilemma0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.9%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.2%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 3.9%California Post: 5.5%Hasty Generalization0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.6%California Post: 0.7%Red Herring0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 1.4%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 36.1%Joe Marino: 11.9%California Post: 8.9%Appeal to Emotion36.1%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.5%California Post: 1.1%Begging the Question0.0%This article: 21.9%Joe Marino: 5.7%California Post: 2.7%Post Hoc (False Cause)21.9%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.2%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.8%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.2%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.2%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 15.6%Joe Marino: 2.8%California Post: 3.6%Anecdotal15.6%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.0%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 3.5%Joe Marino: 0.9%California Post: 2.0%Ambiguity (Equivocation)3.5%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.1%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.1%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.2%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 4.6%Joe Marino: 0.5%California Post: 0.4%Genetic Fallacy4.6%This article: 28.3%Joe Marino: 7.2%California Post: 3.2%Unattributed Quote28.3%This article: 13.1%Joe Marino: 2.0%California Post: 2.1%Quote-first Misdirection13.1%This article: 13.2%Joe Marino: 9.9%California Post: 13.1%Biased Writer Voice13.2%This article: 3.5%Joe Marino: 0.8%California Post: 1.4%Indoctrination3.5%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 0.4%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 5.0%Joe Marino: 1.0%California Post: 3.0%Politically Right Leaning Bias5.0%This article: 0.0%Joe Marino: 0.0%California Post: 6.0%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…0.0%

604 words analyzed.

Speakers

4speakers30%attributed speech423writer words
Voice mapSelect a segment to jump to its words
Writer's voice • 27 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 38 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 15 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 4 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 26 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 24 words • 100.0% coverageElkins • 1 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 28 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 29 words • 0.0% coverageElkins • 26 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 37 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 25 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 12 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 13 words • 100.0% coverageKTBS • 29 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 41 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 5 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 15 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 2 words • 0.0% coverageJeff Landry • 13 words • 0.0% coverageJeff Landry • 5 words • 0.0% coverageJeff Landry • 20 words • 0.0% coverageMike Johnson • 30 words • 100.0% coverageMike Johnson • 15 words • 0.0% coverageMike Johnson • 24 words • 0.0% coverageMike Johnson • 18 words • 0.0% coverage
Selected voice

Mike Johnson

100%flagged-word coverage
87 attributed words48% of attributed speech87% writer coverage
0%22.5%45.0%Unattributed Quote-40.4 ptsWriter: 40.4%Mike Johnson: 0.0%0.0%Politically Right Leaning +34.5 ptsWriter: 0.0%Mike Johnson: 34.5%34.5%Biased Writer Voice-18.9 ptsWriter: 18.9%Mike Johnson: 0.0%0.0%Quote-first Misdirection-18.7 ptsWriter: 18.7%Mike Johnson: 0.0%0.0%Indoctrination-5.0 ptsWriter: 5.0%Mike Johnson: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.