Victim in Hammond shooting was mother who loved the bible, sister says

Patricia Sheppard, 50, shot to death at gas station while getting ride home from work

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Patricia Sheppard’s loved ones say she was just getting a ride home from work Thursday morning when gunmen allegedly shot at her at a Hammond gas station, according to police.

The 50-year-old woman was gunned down at the Chevron gas station on Highway 190 in what police say was a case of mistaken identity. Police say the suspects fired 70 to 80 shots. Sheppard’s sister, Annette Smith, said the family is devastated.

“It (doesn’t) feel real,” Smith said. “I just don’t understand. I just feel like those guys had to be possessed with something. I feel like it’s demonic.”

What happened

Officers responded at 1:15 a.m. Thursday and found Sheppard shot multiple times inside a parked gray sedan at the gas pump, according to Hammond police. Police said she died at the scene near Westin Oak Drive.

Police said a white sedan pulled up next to the parked gray sedan before the two suspects got out of the white car and fired dozens of gunshots into the gray car while Sheppard was inside.

Hammond police have identified the suspects’ vehicle as a white 2008 four-door Honda Civic with the license plate PJY050. The vehicle does not have a front passenger window because one of the suspects shot through it and shattered the glass. The vehicle was stolen during a carjacking in McComb, Mississippi earlier this week.

Security footage shows the suspects speeding away westbound toward I-55, police said.

Police say victim was not the target

Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr. said the department believes the suspects were targeting someone and thought Sheppard was somebody else.

“The lady in the car, Ms. Patricia, who has lost her life, was an absolutely innocent victim in this,” Bergeron said.

The suspects had stalked the car and police believe they were looking for someone who had already gotten out, he said.

“This is not just a random act of violence,” Bergeron said. “This is an absolute target going after what they thought (was) a specific person in the vehicle.”

Bergeron said his detectives have several leads in the case. He said there are two to three suspects they are actively pursuing and that his detectives will not rest until they are in custody. Bergeron added that detectives believe they know some of the motives in the case, but they are not releasing those details at this time.

Family wants quick arrest

Smith said she learned details of her sister’s killing from a press conference and called on police to keep the family updated. She said she hopes police arrest the suspects quickly.

“The longer they’re in the streets, somebody else is going to get hurt because obviously they didn’t get their target, so I’m praying for the person that they were after that nothing happens to them,” Smith said.

Smith said the family is relying on each other in their grief.

“We’re just going to be there for each other whenever somebody is weak, and we just try to give them strength,” Smith said.

The suspects are considered armed and dangerous, so officers are asking anyone who may have seen the car to not approach and contact the department at 985-277-5755 or call 911.

Anyone with information is asked to call Hammond Police Detective Dustin Williams at 985-277-5755 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-554-5245.