Hairdresser's Shooting Family's Plea

The family of Clara Hardwell made a heartfelt plea to the people of the Monroe-West Monroe communities to put an end to the senseless killings that have plagued so many families. Hardwell, who was said to have been pregnant at the time, was killed Thursday, September 23, 2021, in what has been called a cold-blood murder. Hardwell had done a friend's hair, and the individual and Hardwell got into a disagreement because that individual allegedly refused to pay Hardwell. It would not be long before the suspected shooter, Richard Gilbert, would produce a gun and allegedly shoot Hardwell, striking her multiple times before fleeing from the Linderman Avenue address. With the help of concerned citizens, Gilbert was soon captured by West Monroe Police. He is now currently housed at the Ouachita Correctional Center, charged with second-degree murder on a one million dollar bond.

Hardwell's older sister Sa'De Brown recounted that fateful evening when she received a phone call telling her that Hardwell had been shot and that she and family members had to get to St. Francis as soon as possible. Brown said that at the instant, she was frozen as she started to panic and just couldn't move. She told herself that she had to be strong for other members of the family because she had been told before that she is strong for everybody else, even though she could have used some support herself. Brown arrived at St. Francis ahead of other family members, but Hardwell did not survive her injuries. Even though the family was holding on to the hope that Hardwell would survive, they knew that she was gone. Hardwell's mother, Sha'ron Hardwell, said she kept telling her daughter to breathe from her heart as she was taken out of the ambulance.

In an emotional plea, Hardwell shared with the people of Monroe-West Monroe that she hopes that we learn how to talk to each other. She prefaced those words by saying that no momma should have to bury their child and that Clara didn't do anything to anybody. She asked people to stop getting offended and stop feeling disrespected about something that's not important. Hardwell continued to plead with her community to take the time to listen to someone you are having a disagreement with and please think before acting.

"Don't just act on raw emotions. Everybody has a family, and no family deserves to grieve and bereave over senseless killings". Hardwell shared.

The Monroe Dispatch could not agree more with the grieving family. Pray for the Hardwell family.