The mother of three children killed in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, remains hospitalized with a bullet lodged in her head and is suffering from memory loss, according to a relative.
Christina Snow was one of two women shot during the April 19 rampage carried out by Shamar Elkins, a former National Guard member who authorities say killed eight children, including seven of his own, in what investigators have described as a domestic incident.
Snow's children, Braylon Snow, 5, Khedarrion Snow, 6, and Sariahh Snow, 11, were among those killed when Elkins opened fire at a home on West 79th Street after first shooting Snow at a nearby residence on Harrison Street, according to investigators.
Relatives say Snow survived a gunshot wound to the face but remains in serious condition, with doctors deciding against surgery to remove the bullet due to the risks.
"Doctors say they didn't want to do surgery and risk it," her cousin, Jamarckus Snow, told NBC News.
He said she is able to speak but struggles with memory loss in the aftermath of the attack.
"One day, she'll remember they're dead. I heard yesterday she woke up and was like, 'I got to get my kids ready for school.' She'll lose memory of what happened," he said. "One day, she'll know, and the next day, she's thinking her kids is still there."
Authorities say the violence unfolded across multiple locations early Sunday morning, beginning with the shooting of an adult woman before the gunman traveled to a second home, where the children were killed.
Elkins then carjacked a vehicle and fled, leading police on a chase that ended with his death from a gunshot wound, officials said.
Eight children between the ages of 3 and 11 were killed in the attack, making it one of the deadliest mass killings in the United States in at least two years.
Another woman, identified as the mother of four of the children, was also critically injured.
Investigators have not determined a motive, though authorities and relatives have pointed to a history of mental health struggles and domestic turmoil involving the gunman.
Elkins had previously spent time at a Veterans Affairs medical center for mental health treatment, according to relatives, and had distanced himself from family gatherings in recent years.
Jamarckus Snow said he was not closely familiar with Elkins but recalled seeing him at family events.
"He had come over [on] a couple of occasions" during family gatherings, "but we never just sat down and talked," he said.
Jamarckus Snow described Elkins as withdrawn.
"He would distance himself from people, like he wasn't the person that would just come out and talk to you. He would sit to himself, or he would go sit in the car," he said.
Despite that, he said Elkins appeared involved in his children's lives.
"The times I did see him or I did go by her house or something, he had the kids," Jamarckus Snow said. "He spent time with them, he was there for them. I can't say that he didn't love his kids because he did. It was unexpected."
Federal authorities are continuing to investigate how the gunman obtained the weapon used in the killings, though a convicted felon has since been charged in connection with the firearm.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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