Police said two suspects fired up to 80 rounds into a parked car before fleeing toward Interstate 55.
HAMMOND, LA — A 50-year-old woman was shot and killed early Thursday at a Chevron gas station on Highway 190 after police said two gunmen opened fire on a parked car in a case of mistaken identity.
Hammond police identified the woman as Patricia Shepard. Officers found her inside a gray sedan parked at a gas pump after responding to a shots-fired call about 1:15 a.m. near Westin Oak Drive. Police said Shepard had been getting a ride home from work and was not the intended target. The shooting has sent detectives across state lines as they search for suspects tied to a stolen vehicle.
Police said the attack unfolded when a white sedan pulled up next to the gray car at the Chevron station. Two suspects got out and fired between 70 and 80 shots into the vehicle while Shepard was inside. Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr. said investigators believe the gunmen had been following the car and were trying to shoot someone who had already gotten out. “The lady in the car, Ms. Patricia, who has lost her life, was an absolutely innocent victim in this,” Bergeron said. Police said Shepard was struck multiple times and died at the scene before she could be taken to a hospital.
Security video from the station showed the suspects’ white sedan leaving the gas station after the gunfire and heading west toward Interstate 55, police said. Investigators said the car used in the shooting had been stolen Tuesday during a carjacking in McComb, Mississippi, about 55 miles north of Hammond. Detectives traveled to McComb as part of the search. Police had not released the names of any suspects as of Friday. Bergeron said detectives were pursuing several leads and were looking for two to three people connected to the shooting. He said police believe they know some possible motives, but those details were not being released while the investigation continued.
The shooting happened along a busy stretch of U.S. 190, a commercial corridor with gas stations, restaurants and other businesses near the western side of Hammond. The Chevron station sits near Westin Oak Drive, not far from routes leading to Interstate 55. Police said Shepard was in the passenger area of the parked sedan after finishing work. The person investigators believe was the intended target had left the car before the shooting began, Bergeron said. Police have not said whether that person has been interviewed or whether that person was connected to the earlier carjacking in Mississippi.
No arrests had been announced by Friday morning. Police said the case remained an active homicide investigation, with detectives reviewing surveillance video, tracing the stolen sedan and working with agencies outside Louisiana. Bergeron said his department would continue searching until the people responsible were in custody. The chief also said investigators were focused on the stolen car, the route it took after the shooting and any people who may have helped the suspects before or after the attack. Formal charges would depend on arrests and a review by prosecutors.
The shooting left workers and residents near the gas station shaken. Terrence Selders, who works near the crime scene, said he could have been in the area around the time shots were fired. “This is a nice store, but it just makes it difficult that you just don’t want to come out, especially at night,” Selders said. Bergeron called Shepard a woman caught in violence meant for someone else. “She was at the wrong place unfortunately at the wrong time,” he said. Police said the number of rounds fired showed the attack was targeted and intense, even though Shepard was not the person the shooters were seeking.
As of Friday, Hammond police were still searching for the suspects and had not released a booking record in the case. The next major step is the identification and arrest of the people police say fled the gas station after the 1:15 a.m. shooting.
Author note: Last updated June 5, 2026.