Felon Charged With Arming Man Who Killed 8 Children in Shreveport

Federal prosecutors alleged that the suspect lied about his possession of the firearm later used in Louisiana attack that killed eight children.

Police work outside the scene of a mass shooting in Shreveport, La., on April 19, 2026. Gerald Herbert/AP Photo

Federal prosecutors on April 21 charged Charles Ford, 56, with making false statements to federal agents and being a felon in possession of a firearm—the one that Shamar Elkins used to kill eight children in Louisiana in the early hours of Sunday. 

Prosecutors traced the firearm, a .22-caliber Mossberg 715P, to Ford,