Louisiana
Cupid, Emeril, George Rodrigue, more: Read Father’s Day letters from across Louisiana
Fathers shape us in ways both big and small. Their words, actions, silences — even their absences — leave lasting imprints that ripple into the next generation.
In celebration of Father’s Day, the newspaper invited notable Louisianans and their children to write letters to their fathers — some still living and others long gone. The letters recall the shared bonds of Louisiana football fandom, working boots, cabbage soup diets, trips to the Grand Canyon, the value of taking right turns and how to make a roux. Some letters grapple with divorce, sobriety and making peace with memories.
The reflections offer glimpses into the men who shaped their lives, childhoods and worldviews.
Whether your own father is present or a memory, near or far, we hope these letters resonate — and perhaps inspire one of your own. — Jan Risher, Louisiana culture editor
Former Capitol High, LSU and WNBA great Seimone Augustus signs autographs Saturday during the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame news conference in Uncasville, Conn.
From Basketball Hall of Famer Seimone Augustus to her father Seymore Augustus
For Seymore Augustus.
Through quiet strength and stories told.
There stands a man who showed the way.
Seymore Augustus and his daughter Seimone.
With wisdom deep and a steady mind.
His hands were rough, his heart was kind,
He taught me how to stand up tall,
To rise again with every fall.
He showed that love wears working boots,
And sometimes speaks in silence, roots.
He never asked for thanks or praise
Each word he gave, was a seed that grew
And shaped the best in what I do.
So here’s his place, beyond acclaim
A rightful spot in the Father’s Day Hall of Fame.
Not for records or riches,
But for being MY DAD, his truest name.
David Begnaud joined CBS in 2015. His reporting has been featured across all CBS News broadcasts and platforms, earning him some of journalism’s most prestigious awards.
From television journalist David Begnaud to his father Glenn Begnaud in Lafayette
My dad has always been the guy with all the answers — or at least the confidence to pretend he did. Take driving, for example. “Always take right turns,” he preached like it was a law of nature. Left turns? Dangerous. Reckless. The worst idea in the world. I believed him until I turned 15, took a left turn, and crashed.
I wasn’t so worried about the accident as I was about telling him. Turns out, UPS drivers really do take right turns for safety and efficiency — but my dad never needed facts to insist he was right.
Then one day, as an adult, he said the unthinkable: “I don’t know.” That shook me. The man who seemed to know everything was admitting he didn’t have all the answers. That moment made me feel like I’d grown up.
A young David Begnaud grins on a flight with his father, Glenn Begnaud.
My dad’s not just about rules and certainty. He helped integrate his high school prom. He fought for what was right, even if it meant doing things off-site. That kind of courage and conviction is what I respect most.
So, this Father’s Day, I’m grateful — for his stubbornness, his wisdom, his flaws, and most of all, his love. He’s the man who guided me, sometimes by example, sometimes by sheer force of will, and always with heart.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad.
Thanks for being you,
David
Bryson “Cupid” Bernard stands with his father, Corinthian Joseph Bernard.
From Bryson “Cupid” Bernard to his father Corinthian Bernard
Hey Dad!
Mr. Corinthian Joseph Bernard, Sr., Happy Fathers Day.
Just want to say I appreciate you and all the things you instilled in me as a hard worker. The lessons and the discipline you taught me helps me raise my boys today.
I learned how to stand in business and say what I have to say no matter how much it might sting — but in the direction of love. What’s understood never has to be explained.
I’m just grateful that we have the relationship we have and I just want you let you know I’m eternally grateful.
Love you man!
Bryson Bernard
Emeril’s 34 restaurant on Baronne Street in New Orleans on Monday, October 28, 2024. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
From chef E.J. Lagasse to his father chef Emeril Lagasse
Dad,
You taught me how to peel carrots and how to care for others around me. You showed me how to tie a tie and make a roux. Taught me the right amount of cream in a barbecue shrimp and to keep my chin up in a moment of defeat.
You showed me how to find the good, even on bad days. You taught me to have a firm handshake and make every sauce with love. You showed me how to pick the perfect fish at the market and to navigate a room full of strangers.
You brought me to bucket-list restaurants a world away but reminded me nothing topped New Orleans. You taught me the importance of the kitchen table and that, as humans, we could all relate to food.
You warned me of the mistakes you made, in hopes I wouldn’t follow suit. You taught me to clap, cry, or laugh when friends needed it. You told me to always make extra, in the event someone stops by. You made me understand that food is the highest form of love.
A young E.J. Lagasse sits with his chef father, Emeril, while he prepares a meal.
All the memories and all the moments, you and I have shared some special times together. These are just a few of the life lessons I’ve picked up from you along the way.
You’ve spent your time mentoring those around you, all while learning something new every day.
After all, life is like a great dish. It is all about right balance.
Happy Father’s Day to my oldest friend, my idol, my chef, my dad.
With great love and admiration,
E.J.
Irvin Pelegrin wears a crown and cape for a picture in 2001.
State poet laureate Alison Pelegrin wrote this poem in honor of her father, Irvin Pelegrin
Sucker
I was a sucker for my daddy, an addict at heart,
always hooked on something—Drambuie,
the cabbage soup diet, Cajun dancing,
hauling Yankees on the tour bus up and down
River Road to ogle whitewashed plantations.
He once LARPed the vampire Lestat rising
from a grave because he was a sucker for Anne Rice.
He was a sucker for Wicks-n-Sticks, specifically
candles shaped like Buddha, and apartment living
after his divorces. He went hook, line,
and sinker for self-help, especially Dianetics,
Irvin Pelegrin during the Mardi Gras Marathon in 1982.
and though his toenails blackened, he ran across
the longest bridge in the world. Twice.
Then he took up ballroom dancing. He was
the world’s best drunk, and after he dried out
he was a sucker for AA. He was a sucker
for fathering off-shoremen bailed from the drunk tank,
for naming these chain-smoking men my uncles,
the women my aunts, and life became a pot-luck
of talking through the night while the kids slept in cars.
I was a sucker for sitting under the fig tree
behind The Camel Club thinking no one could see me
study him, golden-haired and calm, everyone’s father
but mine, a sucker for all-nighters, for burnt coffee,
for not looking away when sobriety’s Adams
named the worst horrors of their lives.
Press Robinson, Sr.’s father, Prince Robinson, Jr.
From community leader and former Southern University administrator Press Robinson to his father, Prince Robinson, Jr.
Dear Dad,
Happy Everlasting Father’s Day!
Even though you are no longer alive, I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on your life, your legacy, and the significant impact you have had, and continue to have, on my life. This tribute would mean much more if you were still here to read it yourself. But God decided otherwise and took you away some thirty-six years ago.
Your presence is remembered through the lessons you taught, the values you practiced, and the kindness you showed daily.
My life is what it is today because I have lived it according to your examples, which provide comfort, inspiration, and daily guidance.
Press Robinson
I have learned so much from you, not just through the words you used, which I constantly refer to, but through your humble actions, steadfast integrity, and being a man of your word. You often reminded me that “an apple does not fall far from its tree,” and what a tall and strong tree you were, and still are, to me. And as children often do, I didn’t always show my appreciation for your steady hand, common sense, and value of hard work.
On this day in history, in your absence, I profess my love and thank you for setting the example of how to love, show wisdom, be a father, and be a man all in one. With pride, I celebrate you today as the remarkable father you were and whose influence endures beyond words and time.
Press L. Robinson Sr.
Artist George Rodrigue surrounded by his alter egos, his beloved Blue Dogs.
From Jacques Rodrigue to his father, the Louisiana artist George Rodrigue
Dear Dad,
Nearly 12 years since you’ve been gone, yet your presence still guides me daily. You always supported your boys, André and me, and those memories fill my heart with gratitude for the lessons, love, and laughter. I recall our gallery home childhood, playing pool, watching Letterman while you painted, me on my canvas beside your easel.
I remember you on every adventure, recalling road trips in the van with my friends to art shows from coast to coast. You installed a TV/VCR for Nintendo and movies like Airplane!, Monty Python, and Mel Brooks classics we were probably too young for. While most adults dreaded managing kids, you dove in, spending weeks alone with us, laughing like one of us, making experiences like the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas birthdays unforgettable.
The Rodrigues became The Blues Brothers for a night when, from left, Jacques, George and Andre joined forces for a celebratory performance.
Our Saints and LSU fandom bonded us; Mardi Gras was electric with your revelry. For your 60th, we performed an epic Blues Brothers routine.
I strive to honor you, passing your traits and memories to my son, hoping to be the dad you were to me. You would’ve been an incredible grandfather. We miss you deeply. Thank you. Happy Father’s Day.
With gratitude,
Jacques Rodrigue
SHREVEPORT, La. — Investigators are looking into how a former National Guardsman identified as the gunman who killed eight children in Louisiana on Sunday got a gun — despite an illegal firearms conviction on his record.
Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is probing how the man obtained the assault-style pistol used in the shooting, which he described as a domestic violence incident.
Shamar Elkins was arrested in 2019 and convicted of illegal use of a firearm. Shreveport Police spokesman Christopher Bordelon said Elkins was likely prohibited from legally owning firearms because of that conviction.
In an interview, Bordelon said Elkins shot most of the children in the head and “probably still in their sleep.” Elkins was the father of seven of the eight children who were killed, Bordelon said; one of the children was a cousin, according to the coroner’s office.
“It is a disgusting and evil scene,” Bordelon told NBC News.
Elkins also shot and seriously injured his wife and another woman believed to be his girlfriend, police said.
He fled the scene and died in front of a home nearby, authorities said. It was not known whether he was fatally shot by law enforcement officers or died by suicide, Smith told reporters at a news conference Monday.
The mass shooting, one of the worst in the U.S. in recent years, sent waves of shock and grief through Shreveport. Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux described it as “maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had” in the city.
In an emotional news conference Monday, city and state officials condemned the bloodshed and called on community members to advocate for victims of domestic violence.
“We cannot afford to treat domestic violence as an afterthought. We must ensure that every victim, every mother, every father, every child has access to safety,” Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry L. Whitehorn Sr. said.
The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office, citing information provided by the children’s mothers, identified the victims as Jayla Elkins, 3, Shayla Elkins, 5, Kayla Pugh, 6, Layla Pugh, 7, Markaydon Pugh, 10, Sariahh Snow, 11, Khedarrion Snow, 6, and Braylon Snow, 5.
Elkins served in the Louisiana Army National Guard as a signal support system specialist and a fire support specialist from August 2013 to August 2020, the Army said. He never deployed and left the National Guard as a private.
Shreveport police officers responded to the 300 block of West 79th street just after 6 a.m. local time after reports of a domestic disturbance, authorities told reporters.
Elkins first shot a woman on nearby Harrison Street before he went to the West 79th Street home, where he killed the children, authorities said. He then fled and carjacked a person at gunpoint near the intersection of Linwood Avenue and West 79th Street.
Police officers exchanged gunfire with Elkins in neighboring Bossier Parish after a pursuit, Smith told reporters Monday.
Police initially said that officers fatally shot Elkins at that scene, but Smith said Monday that Elkins’ cause of death was still under investigation.
In September 2017, a judge granted Elkins and Sariahh’s mother joint custody following a petition to determine paternity and establish child support, according to court records reviewed by NBC News.
The photo at the top of Elkin’s Facebook profile, which has been verified by NBC News, shows him posing with eight children, including a baby seated on his lap.
On April 9, Elkins reposted a poem addressed to God. “Today I ask You to help me guard my mind and my emotions,” it reads in part. “When negativity arises, remind me to say, ‘It does not belong to me, in the name of Jesus.’”
Ryan Chandler reported from Shreveport, and Daniel Arkin from New York.
If you or someone you know is facing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence hotline for help at (800) 799-SAFE (7233), or go to www.thehotline.org for more. States often have domestic violence hotlines as well.
Louisiana
Louisiana shooter Shamar Elkins made chilling remarks about ‘demons’ weeks before killing his 7 kids and their cousin
The deranged Army vet dad who gunned down his seven children and their cousin confessed he was drowning in “dark thoughts” and told his stepdad that some people “don’t come back from their demons” just weeks before the heinous killings, according to a report.
Shamar Elkins, 31, killed eight children — five girls and three boys ages 3 to 11 — and seriously wounded two women believed to be his wife and girlfriend when he went on a shooting rampage through Shreveport following an argument with his spouse around 6 a.m. Sunday.
Just weeks ago, on Easter Sunday, Elkins called his mother, Mahelia Elkins, and his stepfather, Marcus Jackson, and chillingly told them he was drowning in “dark thoughts,” wanted to end his life, and that his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh, wanted a divorce, the New York Times reported.
“I told him, ‘You can beat stuff, man. I don’t care what you’re going through, you can beat it,’” Jackson told the publication. “Then I remember him telling me: ‘Some people don’t come back from their demons.’”
Mahelia Elkins said she was unclear what problems her son and his wife, who were married in 2024 and had four kids together, were dealing with, the Times reported.
But a relative of one of the wounded women said the couple was in the middle of separation proceedings and was due in court on Monday.
They had been arguing about their relationship coming to an end when Elkins — who was later killed by cops — opened fire, Crystal Brown told the Associated Press.
The killer father worked at UPS and served with the Louisiana Army National Guard from August 2013 to August 2020 as a signal support system specialist and fire support specialist, according to the Times.
A UPS coworker described Elkins as a devoted dad, but said he often seemed stressed and would pull his hair out, creating a lasting bald spot, the publication reported.
Elkins’ mother noted that she had reconnected with her son more than a decade ago after leaving him to be raised by a family friend, Betty Walker. She had Elkins when she was a teenager and struggling with a crack cocaine addiction.
Walker said that she did not witness the shootings on Sunday morning but knew that Elkins shot his wife several times in the head and stomach, the paper reported.
She last saw the deranged father when his family came over for dinner just last weekend — but noted he did not appear off at the time.
“I was getting up this morning to make myself some coffee, and I got the call,” Walker recalled. “My babies — my babies are gone.”
Elkins also had two previous convictions, including for driving while intoxicated in 2016 and for the illegal use of weapons in 2019, the outlet said.
In March 2019, a police report detailed that the National Guard vet had pulled a 9 millimeter handgun from his waistband and shot at a vehicle five times after a driver pulled a handgun on him — with one of the bullets being discovered near a school where children were playing.
The victims killed by Elkins have been identified as Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and Braylon Snow, 5. Seven of the eight were his own children, and the eighth was their cousin. They were all found dead inside their home in Shreveport.
Most of the victims were shot in the head while they slept, Shreveport Police Department spokesman Christopher Bordelon told NBC News.
One child was killed on the roof while trying to escape, police said.
Elkins, who was later killed by police during an attempted carjacking, also shot and wounded two women — the mothers of his children — during his murderous rage.
He shot his wife in the face at the home with the eight kids, Bordelon told the outlet. The other injured victim is believed to be Elkins’ girlfriend, who was shot in a separate house nearby, the police spokesperson added.
Elkins shared four of the slain children with his wife and three with the other injured woman, according to Brown.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
Yasin Gungor
19 April 2026•Update: 19 April 2026
At least eight children were killed and two others were wounded in a shooting in the US state of Louisiana, local police said Sunday.
Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Christopher Bordelon said officers responded to the shooting just after 6 am (1100GMT), following a domestic disturbance call.
The age of the deceased ranged from one to 14 years, he said, adding that the incident involved at least 10 individuals across four separate locations.
The suspect attempted to flee by carjacking a vehicle and driving to neighboring Bossier City, where police located and shot him dead.
Bordelon said Shreveport police officers pursued the suspect’s vehicle into Bossier, where three officers discharged their firearms, killing him. He said investigators believe the suspect was the only person who opened fire at the locations.
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux described the attack as “maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” adding: “It’s a terrible morning.”
No immediate information was available about the condition of the injured.
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