A Louisiana man faces gun charges and allegations that he made a false statement to federal agents in connection with a weekend mass shooting that left eight children dead in Shreveport, authorities said Tuesday.
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Charles Ford, 56, initially lied to authorities about having the gun that authorities said Shamar Elkins used in the shooting, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Louisiana’s Western District alleged in a news release.
Ford later admitted that had the gun and kept it under his seat, federal prosecutors said, adding that Ford believed Elkins took it.
Court records did not list an attorney to speak on Ford’s behalf.
Authorities have said that Elkins was the father of seven of the eight children he fatally shot in Shreveport on Sunday. The eighth was a cousin.
Elkins also shot and seriously injured his wife and another woman believed to be his girlfriend, police said.
Elkins, who relatives have said recently sought mental health treatment from a Veteran Affairs medical center, fled the scene and died in front of a home nearby. He had also carjacked a person at gunpoint. It’s unclear if he died by suicide or was fatally shot by police.