Innocent woman killed by gunmen who fired 70 to 80 shots at wrong target, police say
The Hammond Police Department is searching for gunmen who shot and killed an innocent 50-year-old woman at a Chevron gas station in Hammond, Louisiana, June 4, 2026. (Hammond Police Department)
(HAMMOND, La.) — An innocent woman was killed when gunmen fired 70 to 80 bullets into a car at a Louisiana gas station, apparently believing that their target was in the car, according to police.
Hammond police said the gunmen’s alleged target had been in the car before the shooting, but not at the time of the shooting.
Before the gunfire erupted early Thursday, the suspects were stalking a car at a farm, Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr. said at a news conference.
“At some point [the alleged target] was in the vehicle, and then exited the vehicle to ride with someone else,” Bergeron said.
The victim’s car then left the farm and went to a Chevron gas station, the chief said, and the suspects followed.
When the driver of the victim’s car got out and went inside the gas station, the suspects’ car “pulled up next to it … and began shooting,” Bergeron said.
The suspects fired between 70 and 80 shots, taking the life of 50-year-old Patricia Shepard, who was sitting in the car, Bergeron said.
She was an “absolute innocent victim,” the chief said. “She was not involved.”
Bergeron said investigators are searching for at least two or three suspects.
“We will not rest until the scumbags like this go to jail … for them to roll up and kill an innocent woman in a car because they thought it was somebody else,” he said.
The suspects were driving a car that was stolen in Mississippi earlier in the week, police said.
Authorities urge anyone with information to call the Hammond Police Department at 985-277-5755 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 1-800-554-5245.
Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, speaks during the 76th FIFA Congress on April 30, 2026, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Photo by Rich Lam – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Iran will be participating in the 2026 World Cup and will play in the United States, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in remarks Thursday.
“Of course Iran will play in the United States of America,” he said. “And the reason for that is very simple, dear friends, it’s because we have to unite.”
He added, “We have to bring people together. It is my responsibility, it is our responsibility. Football unites the world, FIFA unites the world, you unite the world, we unite the world.”
Iran said last month it would not participate in the global sporting event amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. A ceasefire has been in place since April 7.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A Frontier Airlines plane lands at San Francisco International Airport on April 15, 2025, in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(DENVER, Colo.) — Passengers on a Frontier Airlines flight were forced to deplane at the gate Sunday evening in Denver after an ammunition magazine was found on the aircraft as it was preparing for departure, according to the airline.
Frontier says preliminary investigation indicates the magazine belongs to a law enforcement officer who may have left it behind on a previous flight.
There were no injuries, officials said. All passengers were deplaned and rescreened out of precaution, and the plane also went through a security sweep, and nothing additional was recovered from the flight, according to the airline.
Flight 4765 was scheduled to travel from Denver to Phoenix. Due to the delay, the flight crew exceeded their duty time, and passengers were booked on another flight, which departed Monday morning, according to Frontier Airlines.
TSA says it is aware of the incident, and the FBI is leading the investigation.
Jonathan Rinderknecht is seen in a photo released by the Department of Justice. (Department of Justice)
(LOS ANGELES) — The federal trial for a man accused of starting a fire that eventually became the deadly blaze that devastated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles last year is set to begin.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, who is accused of “maliciously” starting a fire that six days later developed into what became known as the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.
Rinderknecht, a former Los Angeles resident living in Florida, was arrested nine months after the Palisades Fire leveled neighborhoods in Los Angeles County and left 12 people dead.
He was indicted on three counts — destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire. He pleaded not guilty and faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
Federal prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht, who was working as an Uber driver at the time, ignited a brush fire that became known as the Lachman Fire on Jan. 1, 2025.
Despite being suppressed by fire crews, prosecutors allege that the fire continued to smolder until it surfaced again nearly a week later amid high winds in the Los Angeles area, eventually becoming the Palisades Fire.
In a criminal complaint, authorities allege Rinderknecht caused the initial fire by lighting a combustible material, such as vegetation or paper, with an open flame, likely a lighter.
The complaint included an image Rinderknecht allegedly generated in July 2024 using ChatGPT, showing in part “a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it.”
“You could see some of his thought process in the months leading up, where he was generating some really concerning images up on ChatGPT, which appears to show a dystopian city being burned down,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference following Rinderknecht’s arrest in October 2025.
In a court filing last month, the defense stated that Rinderknecht “denies he willfully and maliciously set” the Lachman Fire “and therefore cannot be responsible for either the Lachman or the Palisades Fire, or the resulting damages.” The defense attorney, Steven Haney, also questioned the government’s “holdover theory,” which posits that the Palisades Fire was caused by the Lachman Fire, and argued that the fires were two distinct events.
The trial is estimated to last seven to 11 days.
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, burning more than 23,000 acres over more than three weeks and destroying nearly 7,000 structures, decimating the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to California fire officials.
It ignited the same day as the Eaton Fire, which burned more than 14,000 acres in Los Angeles County, destroying more than 9,400 structures and killing 19 people, according to officials.
The fires started burning during strong Santa Ana winds, which, combined with dry conditions, helped their ability to spread quickly.
Investigators pursued more than 200 leads, conducted hundreds of interviews and collected more than 13,000 pieces of evidence, including fire debris, digital data and DNA samples, as part of the probe into the cause of the Palisades Fire, according to Kenny Cooper, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Los Angeles Field Division.
“We have a lot of different data that all concluded where this fire started, and the fire behavior from that origin, from that Lachman Fire, was clearly established in the Palisades Fire,” Cooper said at a press briefing last year.
