On Halloween night in 2017, Shantell Monique Pollard, a 19-year-old female from Thibodaux, Louisiana, was looking forward to a night of celebration with friends on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Her friends arrived at her family's home to pick her up, and she excitedly jumped into their vehicle, ready for the hour-long trip. The group first made a stop in the Marydale neighborhood to drop off one of the friend's children.
It was during this stop that the evening took a tragic and violent turn.
At approximately 10:35 p.m. on October 31, while seated in the passenger seat of the SUV on Park Avenue, Shantell was shot in the head. Lafourche Parish Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene and found her unresponsive with a bleeding head wound. Emergency services rushed her first to Thibodaux Regional Medical Center and she was later transferred to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge due to the severity of her injury. Despite medical efforts, which included reviving her twice, Shantell Pollard succumbed to her injuries and passed away on Friday, November 3, 2017.
In the wake of her death, her family remembered her as a vibrant young woman with dreams of becoming a singer, a model, or a makeup artist. A giver by nature, Shantell was a registered organ donor, and her final act was one of generosity, as her organs went on to save multiple lives. Her mother, Lauralee Pollard-Lee, found a glimmer of light in the midst of her profound grief, knowing her daughter's legacy would live on through others.
The investigation into Shantell Pollard's murder remains ongoing. To date, no arrests have been made, and law enforcement has not publicly identified any suspects or a motive in the shooting. The case has grown cold, leaving her family and community still searching for answers and justice for a young life cut tragically short. The Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office continues to ask for anyone with information regarding the crime to come forward.
