Funeral held for 8 children killed in Louisiana mass shooting

The eight children killed last month in a Louisiana mass shooting were laid to rest Saturday as faith leaders and politicians joined the long procession of mourners who came to pay their respects.

Big picture view:

Eight white caskets adorned with gold crowns and bouquets were next to large pictures of the children inside the Summer Grove Baptist Church, in Shreveport, as people came to honor the young victims, who ranged in age from 3 to 11 years old. Seven of the children were siblings who were shot by their father on April 19, while the eighth victim was their cousin.

A choir and individual singers performed during the service, during which Bishop Bernard Kimble, senior pastor of the Mount Olive Baptist Church delivered the opening remarks. In attendance were Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux, city council members, U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields and former Rep. Gabby Giffords, whose political career ended when she was shot in a 2011 assassination attempt.

What they're saying:

"May we honor them by carrying forward the gentleness, joy and love they so freely shared," Arceneaux said.

A message read from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry described the children as "the light of their homes and the heart of their classrooms. They were full of promise and found joy in the simplest things, such as dancing, playing outside and sharing laughter with their family and friends."

Landry ordered flags to be flown at half-staff next week at the Louisiana Capitol and state government buildings.

The backstory:

The man who killed them, Shamar Elkins, died after fleeing from police and being involved in a chase. It is not known whether he was killed by officers or died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Elkins, who used an assault-style weapon despite a 2019 felony firearms conviction, also wounded his wife, who was seeking to divorce him, and another woman in the shooting, which spanned two houses in a Shreveport neighborhood.