Big smiles and bigger hearts: These are the 8 children killed in the Shreveport mass shooting

By Andy Rose, Lauren Mascarenhas, Isabel Rosales, Caroll Alvarado, CNN

(CNN) — On Easter Sunday, Shamar Elkins posed for a photo with his seven children in their matching church outfits – most of the girls in white button-down sweaters with pink stripes, the boys in sky blue polos. One daughter gives an electric grin, framed underneath two green hair bows.

Elkins stretched his hands behind them, enveloping his kids like a big hug. On Facebook, he said it was the first time he had all of his children together at church.

Two weeks later, police say, those same hands pulled the trigger that took all of their lives and that of along with one of their cousins in a murderous spree that shocked Shreveport.

So many futures cut short. So many questions.

“The children were children,” neighbor Freddie Montgomery told CNN. “They were children playing in the yard every day.”

By Monday, a memorial on the front lawn of the home had been built from brightly colored balloons, striped pinwheels and stuffed animals of all kinds – a tribute to the young children who used to play there.

Ordinary children – from 3 to 11 years old – now part of a story that is both extraordinary and far too common. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children in the United States.

As their mothers – who were also injured in the attack – recover, the eight children who were killed are being remembered for their vibrant spirits and love for life.

“These were eight babies. Eight precious babies,” said Troy Brown, the father of the eighth victim. “So, no – I’m not okay.”

‘I’ve lost eight parts of me’

Mar’Kaydon Pugh, 10, was the cousin of the seven siblings killed in the attack. His mother Keosha Pugh and Elkins’ estranged wife are sisters. Keosha broke her pelvis and hip after jumping off a roof with her daughter Mar’Kianna while fleeing the gunfire, her husband said, and is recovering.

“I’m never gonna get to throw the football with him again,” his father, Brown, said in tears Monday.

Brown said he helped raise Mar’Kaydon’s cousins and is mourning the loss of all the children.

“I’ve lost eight parts of me, because I loved each and every one of them like they were my own and I took care of them like they were my own,” Brown said.

Sisters who loved dancing, laughter and unicorns

Brown says the home he shared with Keosha Pugh, his sister-in-law Shaneiqua Pugh, his brother-in-law Shamar Elkins and six of the children was never quiet. Before the attack that robbed the home of joy and life, it pulsed with noise, laughter and movement.

Some of the loudest were sisters Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; and Layla Pugh, 7.

They filled the rooms with singing and dancing, sometimes bursting out with the random Gen Alpha chant of “6-7,” a phrase only they seemed to fully understand. The girls would spend hours filming TikToks, turning mundane daily moments into something playful and childlike.

“They loved to move around and have fun,” Brown told CNN.

They shared everything – toys, space and attention. The sisters were obsessed with Lilo & Stitch and Hello Kitty. Jayla adored unicorns. Shayla was more reserved, often scrolling quietly on her phone. Layla and Kayla took pride in helping around the house, quick to respond “okay uncle” whenever Brown asked them to tidy up.

A firstborn sister stood tall among her siblings

With the gentle care of a first-time mother, Christina Snow watched closely in her hospital bed as she held the formula bottle for her tiny baby in pink footie PJs.

“HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY to my baby girl Sariahh R. Snow, mama love you & always will,” Snow wrote on Facebook, posting that photo of the feeding alongside others of the resting newborn.

By the time of her last family photo on Easter, the 5-pound, 2-ounce baby in that early snapshot was standing almost up to her father’s chin, an 11-year-old a full head taller than all of her siblings.

Teachers remembered Sariahh as someone who was always ready to help others.

“She was a hard worker. Someone that had a big smile and a great heart,” Caddo Parish Superintendent Keith Burton told CNN.

An outgoing spirit with a thirst for learning

Six-year-old Khedarrion was excited to go to summer camp with his siblings, Sariahh and Braylon, where they would learn a new trade and attend classes, said their great aunt LaShun Berry. The three of them loved visiting the farm, she added.

Preschool teacher Angela Hall said she would see Khedarrion playing on the playground last year and described him as an “outgoing spirit.”

After Khedarrion graduated from preschool, Hall would ask the family about him and was glad to hear he was doing well in school, she said.

“You know, you just become connected to the entire family in some way or another,” Hall said.

Khedarrion was making major strides in kindergarten, Burton said, and had recently been praised by his principal at Summer Grove Elementary School for his progress in literacy since the start of the school year.

“(His teacher) said he just had a natural brilliance about him and really wanted to have a thirst for learning and activities, and she’s just devastated, without a doubt,” Burton said.

A burgeoning young reader

When 5-year-old Braylon walked into Hall’s preschool classroom last August, the first thing she noticed about the respectful, mild-mannered young boy was how quiet he was.

Her goal was to get him to open up during the school year, and by April, he had come a long way.

“He was a good friend, played, socialized well, loved just having fun on the playground, chasing people and playing tag… He was a good kid,” she said.

When Braylon “was getting a little busy” during circle time, Hall said she would call him out and he would laugh and flash his signature grin – and Hall couldn’t help but smile herself.

“It was a joy to see him smile whenever he did, because he had such a happy smile,” she said.

When the kids had free time, Hall said Braylon, who loved building things and using his imagination, would go to the library center. And while none of the kids really knew how to read yet – some of them held their books upside down – Braylon would sit quietly with his book upright and carefully put it away when he was done.

“You know, every child doesn’t do that in my classroom,” Hall said.

Last Thursday, Hall said she told Braylon’s mom about the progress he had made in writing his first and last name.

When Hall called out Braylon’s name this week, he wasn’t there. She said she found herself doing it repeatedly, mistakenly – another student in the class has a similar name – each time a reminder that he’s gone.

The mood in the classroom has been somber, Hall said.

“I could tell that they knew that something was going on, because they were watching me so intent,” she said. “I just I knew that they knew something was wrong and just didn’t know what.”

Family plans for children to be laid to rest together

While the family and community grapple with an unthinkable loss, the children who came together for Easter will be laid to rest together.

All eight victims will have joint funerals scheduled tentatively on May 23 at the Shreveport Convention Center and will be buried near each other, Berry told CNN.

The family says they plan to honor the children once their mothers have reached a point in their recoveries where they can hold the funerals.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry announced the Love One Louisiana Foundation will help cover funeral costs.

Shaneiqua Pugh remains in the ICU but is communicating and recovering after sustaining nine gunshot wounds, Brown told CNN Wednesday. Keosha Pugh, who Brown said is recovering from surgery, attended a vigil for the children in a wheelchair Wednesday night. Christina Snow was discharged from the hospital Wednesday after being shot in the face, Berry told CNN.

The pictures of the victims capture the sweetest moments of childhood – a toothy smile, a teddy bear T-shirt, colorful beads over braided hair – bringing happy memories and comfort to the loved ones left behind without answers.

“They loved being outside,” Berry said. “They loved life.”

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CNN’s Sharif Paget, Maria Sole Campinoti and Sneha Dhandapani contributed to this report.