Former Child Actress Jonshel Alexander Dead at 22

Jonshel Alexander, who appeared in the Oscar-nominated film “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” was killed on Saturday in Louisiana. She was 22.

Police told NOLA.com that Alexander was sitting in a vehicle with a man in New Orleans’ 7th Ward around 9 p.m., when her and the man were shot. She died at the scene. The man was able to drive himself to the hospital.

Jonshel was just 12 when she played Joy Strong alongside Quvenzhané Wallis’ Hushpuppy in “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” The 2012 film, about 6-year-old Hushpuppy and her dad living in a fictional Bayou community in Louisiana, received big buzz and critical acclaim, including four Oscar nods.

NOLA.com reports that after the movie, Alexander went on to graduate high school and later welcomed a daughter, 1-year-old De-vynne Robinson.

Jonshel’s mother Shelly Alexander told the site, "She brought life to everything. Jonshel was feisty, jazzy, spoiled. It was her way or no way. Jonshel was like, 'It's going to be me.'"