The Structure of America’s Domestic Violence Crisis
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Originally published in Time Magazine on May 4, 2026.
On the morning of April 19, 2026, eight children—the youngest just three years old—were shot in Shreveport, Louisiana. Their alleged killer was Shamar Elkins, 31, their own father. Police have also charged him with shooting his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh, as well as Christina Snow, the mother of three of his children.
That same week—April 16—in Annandale, Virginia, police also determined that former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, before killing himself, with their teenage children inside the house.
Three women, all Black mothers, were targeted. Across two states, in two very different households, the same devastating logic played out: a man facing the loss of control over his family chose violence as his final act of dominance.