A 50-year-old woman was tragically killed in a barrage of gunfire early Thursday morning at a Chevron gas station in Hammond, and investigators believe she was an innocent victim who was mistakenly targeted.
According to the Hammond Police Department, officers responded to reports of a shooting at approximately 1:15 a.m. at the Chevron station located on Highway 190 near Westin Oak Drive. Upon arrival, officers found Patricia Shepard, 50, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside a gray sedan parked at a gas pump. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators said surveillance footage captured a white sedan pulling alongside the gray vehicle before two suspects exited and opened fire. Authorities estimate that between 70 and 80 rounds were fired into the vehicle while Shepard was inside.
After the shooting, the suspects fled the area in the white sedan, traveling westbound toward Interstate 55, according to police.
Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr. said investigators believe the gunmen were targeting another individual and mistakenly believed that person was inside the vehicle. Authorities determined that Shepard was not the intended target.
“The lady in the car, Ms. Patricia, who has lost her life, was an absolutely innocent victim in this,” Bergeron said.
According to investigators, Shepard had been receiving a ride home from work from the driver of the gray sedan. Police believe the suspects had been following the vehicle and were actually seeking someone who had already exited the car before the shooting occurred.
“She was at the wrong place unfortunately at the wrong time,” Bergeron said.
Detectives also revealed that the suspects’ vehicle had been stolen during a carjacking in McComb, Mississippi, two days before the shooting. Hammond investigators traveled to Mississippi as part of their efforts to identify and locate those responsible.
While authorities say they have developed information regarding possible motives behind the attack, those details have not yet been released publicly as the investigation remains active.
The shocking violence has left family members, friends, and community members mourning the loss of Patricia Shepard, whose life was taken in what police describe as a senseless act of mistaken identity.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Hammond Police Detective Dustin Williams at 985-277-5755 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-554-5245.
