One of the New Orleans Police Department’s own has passed away. 54-year-old Yolanda Dillion, a 10-year NOPD budget analyst, was stabbed in broad daylight while working as an Uber driver for extra Christmas cash.
Thursday, as an Uber driver, Dillion picked up Brandon Jacobs, age 29, in downtown New Orleans and drove him to the Travelodge in Harvey, Louisiana, where he was staying. She arrived at the motel with Jacobs in tow around 3 p.m. that day.
Instead of exiting the vehicle at that time, police say Jacobs grabbed Dillion from behind and viciously stabbed her three times. According to reports, he fled the scene and returned to his motel room. When another passenger attempted to enter Dillion’s vehicle, the individual observed that Dillion had been attacked and ran back to the Travelodge for assistance. Dillion was rushed to a nearby hospital, but he passed away shortly after arrival.
The sheriff of Jefferson Parish, Joe Lopinto, stated, “He was in the back seat.” “She was stabbed from behind. Exited the vehicle and casually walked away.”
The following WWL-TV news segment contains surveillance videos of a portion of the attack. Warning: offensive material
The police contacted Uber to obtain a list of passengers Dillion had transported that day. Jacobs was then discovered still in his Travelodge motel room. Jacobs allegedly confessed to the crime and posted a video of Dillion’s final moments on Facebook, according to the police. Since then, Facebook has removed the alleged video from Jacobs’ page.
Jacobs told police that he “woke up” that morning and “decided to kill someone,” with Dillion being his arbitrary target.
NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson stated, “Our team is taking it pretty hard.” “The team cherished [Dillon]. She will be missed terribly. She was inactive. She was modest. She was a quiet giant because she meant so much to this division, and her passing devastated our employees.
“This caught everyone off guard,” he added.
According to all accounts, Dillion was a cherished member of her community. She was the only child and sole caregiver for her mother, Edna, who was 83 years old. She was an active member of New Orleans East’s St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. She had also overcome breast cancer and was nearing the completion of her doctorate in sociology.
“According to others, Yolanda was a very caring person. “You never know if she’s suffering, but she’s always there asking others how they’re doing and feeling,” recalled Father Charles Ndumbi of Dillion.
Jacobs has been arrested and charged with murder in the second degree. When he will appear in court is unknown.
