Philippa Ashford, a 61-year-old psychiatric nurse, was killed on January 1, 2020 in Houston’s Laurel Oaks subdivision when a stray bullet struck her while she stood in her driveway watching New Year’s celebrations. The bullet came from an unknown location and investigators concluded it was likely the result of celebratory gunfire. Despite a canvass by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and interviews with neighbors, no shell casings were recovered nearby and no suspects have been identified.

Ashford worked as a nurse manager at the Menninger Clinic and was an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Her death prompted public outcry about the dangers of firing guns into the air and highlighted challenges in tracing random, reckless shootings when physical evidence is lacking.

Did anyone in Laurel Oaks that night see or hear anything that could help clarify where the shot came from?