SHREVEPORT, La. – A Bossier City man with a connection to the April 19 mass murder of eight Shreveport children pleaded not guilty to a gun charge in federal court on Monday.
Michael Mayence, 54, entered the plea during his arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Hornsby. He's held on a $25,000 bond.
A federal grand jury indicted Mayence in May on a charge of possessing a firearm while being subject to a domestic violence injunction.
Mayence was a longtime friend of Shamar Elkins, the man who killed the children – seven of whom who were his own. Two of the slain children’s mothers were shot but survived. Another mother and one of her children suffered other injuries while escaping.
After gunning down the children, Elkins led police on a brief chase that ended at Mayence’s home. Elkins took his own life after admitting to the murders, a family member told KTBS.
Law enforcement searched Mayence’s house afterward and found several firearms. They returned later with a search warrant, seized the guns and arrested Mayence.
Mayence was prohibited from possessing firearms because he was under an active domestic violence protection order since October 2024. It was served on him in December 2024 and was supposed to last until May.
Another man, Charles Ford, 56, has pleaded not guilty in federal court for possessing the gun that Elkins used in the killings, in addition to making false statements to federal agents.
Hornsby set a July 10 deadline for the government to produce discovery in Mayence’s case, including all videos and photographs. The motions deadline is Aug. 10, which is the same day that a status conference will be held. No trial date was set.