Man charged with supplying gun to Louisiana father who allegedly killed 8 children
Charles Ford faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.
A 56-year-old Louisiana man is facing federal charges for allegedly supplying an assault-style pistol that Shamar Elkins is suspected of using to kill eight children, including seven of his own, in a shooting in Shreveport over the weekend, officials said.
Charles Ford of Shreveport was arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and making false statements about the firearm to federal agents assisting in the investigation of Sunday's massacre, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana. He faces a total of up to 20 years in prison if convicted of both charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
"Words fall short in the face of the acts Shamar Elkins perpetrated in Shreveport on April 19 – they are beyond comprehension or description," U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller said in the statement announcing the charges.
Elkins, 31, died after leading police on a chase following the mass shooting in Shreveport that also left two women hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
Keller said investigators probing how Elkins obtained the weapon were led to Ford through information they obtained from the original purchaser of the weapon.
"Elkins' death means that our community will never see him face justice," Keller said. "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."
According to a criminal complaint, the agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Shreveport police investigators traced the weapon to a woman whom they said originally purchased it.
The woman, whose name was not released, told investigators that she gave the gun to Ford, according to the complaint.
"Ford, a convicted felon not permitted to possess firearms, initially lied to ATF agents about possessing the firearm, claiming he never did," according to the criminal complaint. "Ford later admitted that he did possess the firearm, claiming that he kept the firearm under his seat. Ford further admitted to believing that Elkins took possession of the firearm."
If convicted, Ford faces up to 20 years in prison: 15 years for allegedly being a felon in possession of a weapon, and five years for allegedly making false statements to investigators, according to the statement.
It was unclear on Wednesday if Ford had an attorney.
The mass shooting began around 6 a.m. on Sunday in the Cedar Grove neighborhood of South Shreveport, Chief Wayne Smith of the Shreveport Police Department said at a news conference on Monday.
Police officers investigating reports of a domestic violence incident discovered the bodies of eight children, ranging in age from 3 to 11, at a home on W. 79th Street.
The victims were identified by the Caddo Parish Coroner's Office 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.
Smith said Elkins, a former member of the Louisiana Army National Guard, allegedly used the assault-style pistol to kill seven of his children and an eighth child related to him. A teenage boy and a woman were also injured when they jumped off the roof of a house to escape the shooting, police said.
Smith said domestic violence is believed to be the primary motive behind the killings, but police are continuing to investigate what exactly drove Elkins to allegedly commit the massacre.
The chief said two women, including the mother of seven of the children who were killed, were wounded.
Smith said the second woman, who was found wounded in home on Harrison Street in Shreveport, was Elkins' girlfriend.
Following the shooting on West 79th Street, Elkins allegedly carjacked a red Kia Sportage and led police on a chase into the neighboring community of Bossier City.
Smith said officers opened fire on Elkins outside a Bossier City home. However, during Monday's news conference, the chief said it remained unclear if the officers fatally shot Elkins or whether he died by suicide.
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