Actor Jonshel Alexander Famous For 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' Shot Dead At 22

Jonshel Alexander, former child actor known for her role in the 2012 Oscar-nominated film Beasts of the Southern Wild was killed in a shooting in Louisiana in the United States over the weekend, reports said. She was 22.

Alexander and a man were both shot when they were inside a vehicle around 9 PM. While the man survived and rushed to the hospital for treatment by driving himself, the actor was declared dead on the spot.

A probe in the case is on and investigators have reportedly located a pickup truck suspected to have been used by the killer in the killing, as per NME. Police have also asked the public for any leads on the case.

Jonshel Alexander: What You Need To Know About The Late Actor

Alexander played the supporting character of Joy Strong in Beasts of the Southern Wild, directed by Benh Zeitlin, when she was 12 years old. She was chosen from an audition of over 4000 people from Lousiana natives and was described as an "absolute one-of-a-kind, unforgettable, force-of-nature human being" by the director, as per Hollywood Reporter. Zeitlin revealed a lot of lines in the film were also written by Alexander.

Following her death, Alexander's mother told the media about how she "brought life to everything."

Tributes pour in: 

Social media, upon learning of Alexander's passing, is full of condolences from fans and friends. One Twitter user wrote, "another childhood friend, gone way too soon." Another wrote, "My baby... My friend."

"rest in peace jonshel alexander, this life is unfair and we can only imagine how much more you had to give. thank you for playing such a powerful role in a film that impacted me so much as a child," one Twitter user wrote. "OMG! Noooooo sad," wrote another. 

"These shootings are absolutely out of control. It is proof positive that human beings are too flawed to have guns perpetually near-to-hand," one tweet read.

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