On October 13, 2026, United States District Judge Alexander C. Van Hook sentenced Shreveport resident, Charles Ray Ford, to 78 months in federal prison for Felon in Possession of a Firearm, followed by three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Ford, a previously convicted felon, unlawfully possessed a Mossberg pistol between January 2025 and March 2026 after receiving it from an acquaintance. Despite knowing he was prohibited from possessing firearms due to the prior felony conviction, Ford admitted to possessing the firearm.
Ford further claimed that he kept the pistol under the seat of his truck and knew that Shamar Elkins had taken the firearm from his truck. Investigators later determined Elkins used the firearm on April 19, 2026, to carry out a mass shooting in Shreveport that claimed the lives of eight children while critically wounding two women.
“The significant sentence Charles Ford will serve for illegally possessing the firearm that he knew found its way to Shamar Elkins and then lying about it to federal agents provides some small measure of accountability for Elkins’ unthinkable crime,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “While nothing can undo the devastation caused in this terrible case or restore the innocent life lost, this sentence sends a strong message that those whose actions put deadly weapons into the hands of violent felons will face serious consequences.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Louisiana State Police, the Shreveport Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods.
