HAMMOND, La. — Police in Louisiana are searching for multiple suspects after a 50-year-old woman was killed in what investigators describe as a mistaken-target shooting at a gas station.
According to the Hammond Police Department, Patricia Shepard was sitting inside a vehicle at a Chevron gas station early Thursday morning when gunmen opened fire, unleashing between 70 and 80 rounds. Authorities believe the suspects mistakenly thought their intended target was inside the vehicle.
Investigators said the suspects had allegedly been following an individual connected to the vehicle earlier in the evening. Police say that person later left the vehicle and traveled elsewhere, but the suspects continued following the car to the gas station.
When the driver exited the vehicle and entered the store, the suspects allegedly pulled alongside the car and began firing. Shepard, who remained inside the vehicle, was struck and killed.
Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr. described Shepard as an "absolute innocent victim" and emphasized that she had no involvement in the dispute. Authorities believe at least two to three suspects were involved in the attack.
Investigators have identified the suspects' vehicle as a stolen white 2008 Honda Civic taken from Mississippi earlier in the week. The vehicle reportedly displays Mississippi license plate PJY050 and is missing a front passenger-side window.
Law enforcement officials continue to search for those responsible and are asking anyone with information to contact the Hammond Police Department or Crime Stoppers.
"We will not rest until the people responsible are brought to justice," Bergeron said during a news conference.
The investigation remains ongoing.
