Hammond Woman Killed in Chevron Parking Lot Shooting as Police Name Persons of Interest

HAMMOND — A quiet early morning at a Hammond gas station turned tragic on June 4, 2026, when 50-year-old Patricia Sheppard was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Chevron at 3123 Highway 190 West, leaving her family and community grappling with a sudden and senseless loss.
Hammond Police Department detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division have now identified two persons of interest in the homicide: Jarvis Steptoe, 26, and Reginald Steptoe, 21, both of the Hammond area.
According to police, officers responded at approximately 1:15 a.m. to a reported homicide at the Chevron. Upon arrival, they found Sheppard inside a gray sedan. She had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Security camera footage reviewed by investigators shows a gray sedan parked at a gas pump next to a white sedan. Two suspects wearing dark clothing exited the front and rear passenger side of the white sedan armed with what appeared to be AR-style pistols. Police say the suspects opened fire at the rear passenger side of the gray sedan where Sheppard was seated. The suspects then re-entered the white sedan while continuing to fire before fleeing westbound on Highway 190 toward I-55.
Detectives say the white sedan is a 2008 4-door Honda Civic with Mississippi license plate PJY050. It had been carjacked in Mississippi on June 2.
The death of Patricia Sheppard has left loved ones mourning a life cut short by violence. At 50, she is remembered by family as a mother, friend, and neighbor whose absence is now deeply felt across the community she called home.
Police are asking for the public’s help. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jarvis Steptoe or Reginald Steptoe is asked to contact Detective Dustin Williams with the Hammond Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 985-277-5755 or williams_dj@hammond.org. Tips can also be sent via the Hammond Police Department’s Facebook page or through Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa’s anonymous tip line at 1-800-554-5245. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.
The investigation remains active.