Crime
50-year-old Patricia Shepard shot and killed in case of mistaken identity at Chevron gas station in Hammond
NEW ORLEANS – A 50-year-old woman was shot and killed early Thursday at a Chevron gas station on Highway 190, according to Hammond police.
Officers responded at 1:15 a.m. and found Patricia Shepard shot multiple times inside a parked car at the gas pump, according to authorities.
Police said she died at the scene near Westin Oak Drive.
According to police, a white sedan pulled up next to the parked gray sedan. Two suspects got out of the white car, firing between 70 to 80 gunshots into the gray car while Shepard was inside.
Security footage shows the suspects speeding away westbound toward I-55, police said.
Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr. said the department believes the suspects were trying to target someone and thought the person in the car was somebody else.
โThe lady in the car, Ms. Patricia, who has lost her life, was an absolutely innocent victim in this,โ Bergeron said.
Bergeron said Shepard was getting a ride home from work from the driver of the gray sedan. The suspects had stalked the car and were targeting someone who had already gotten out, he said.
โShe was at the wrong place unfortunately at the wrong time,โ Bergeron said.
The suspectsโ vehicle was stolen during a carjacking in McComb, Mississippi, on Tuesday, according to police. Detectives traveled to McComb to help track down the suspects in the crime, they said.
โThese are the people that are affecting our community. These are the trash bags that are destroying communities across our country every single day,โ Bergeron said.
Terrence Selders, who works near the crime scene, said he could have easily been there Thursday morning.
Bergeron added detectives believe they know some motives in the case, but they are not releasing those details at this time.
Anyone with information is asked to call Hammond Police Detective Dustin Williams at 985-277-5755 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-554-5245
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. โ Emergency law enforcement units are currently on the scene of an ongoing standoff involving a barricaded suspect and a reported hostage situation in North Charleston.
According to initial dispatch reports on Sunday, October 25, 2026, police responded to a residence located in the 5300 block of Charter Drive following reports of a violent incident.
First responders located one victim suffering from a stabbing. That individual was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
Preliminary reports indicate that a suspect subsequently barricaded themselves inside the home and is reportedly holding one person hostage.
Law enforcement officers remain actively deployed in the area managing the standoff. A public advisory has been issued urging residents and drivers to avoid Charter Drive and follow all instructions provided by officers on the scene.
Official statements and further details from local police have not yet been released as the situation remains active and fluid.
This is a developing report and will be updated as confirmed information becomes available.