From the look of your photo it appears there is still some green leaves at the lower left of your plant. If the green is part of your elderberry, I recommend that you to remove all of the dead limbs from the shrub leaving the green parts. Prune out the dead wood all the way down to the base of the shrub, leaving only the limbs that have green growth. The elderberry is a hardy plant and you may be able to save it, if you want to put in the effort.

There are many things that could result in the damage to your shrub. This must have been progressing for some time? If it is what I think it is, see the link below, the fix would have been to prune out the affected wood before the damage progressed. There is a boring insect, the Sambucus borer, that will cause this kind of damage. Here is a link to a paper on an insect that attacks the elderberry and may be the cause of your damage. https://pnwhandbooks.org/insect/hort/landscape/hosts-pests-landscape-plants/elderberry-sambucus-borer , you may see the damage described in the paper. You can also cut out a damaged limb and take it to the Benton County Extension Office for a Master Gardener, or staff horticulturist to attempt to identify the issue. Call before you go to be sure a Master Gardener is at the office.

I notice that your shrub is planted right next to a fence. The elderberry sends out new shoots from the base of the plant. Is it possible that your shrub has growth on the other side of the fence and that your neighbors sprayed what they thought was a weed, or invasive?

If you decide to remove your elderberry, I recommend that you do not plant another elderberry, or plant in the elderberry family, in the same spot.

We have a Black Lace Elderberry that is more than 10 years old. We prune out dead, damaged, or dying wood as soon as we see it. This helps maintain the health of our shrub.  The Black Lace Elderberry is such a beautiful shrub, it adds so much to any landscape.

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I suggest you put all of the dead material in a plastic bag and put it in your trash to hauled away.  Do a good job of cleaning up the area when you cut down the shrub.

Thanks for letting me know what you found.