JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man was killed, three other adults were injured and a child narrowly escaped harm when a shooter fired into their vehicle on I-10 eastbound near the I-95 split, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
According to JSO, a woman called 911 around 7:45 p.m., saying she had been shot on the highway.
When officers got to the scene, they found the woman and three men suffering from gunshot wounds. One of the men was able to be treated and released at the scene, but the three other adults were taken to a hospital, where one of the men died from his injuries, police said.
The woman and the other man are expected to be OK, according to JSO. The woman’s child was also in the car during the shooting but was not hurt, police said.
Investigators learned from the surviving victims that they were headed east on I-10 when a dark-colored car “came up on them” and “some type of words or something was exchanged between the two vehicles.”
Someone in that dark-colored car then started shooting into the victims’ car, striking the four adults.
The I-10/I-95 split was shut down for hours as police investigated, but all lanes have since reopened.
JSO said the relationships of those involved and the exact circumstances of the shooting remain unclear and are still under investigation.
This is not the first time this year News4JAX has told you about shootings happening on roadways.
In March, a driver was arrested after waving a gun and shooting on I-95 in St. Johns County.
In 2023, a driver was shot and crashed into a semi-truck on I-95 North near the Trout River Bridge.
In 2022, two men were arrested after two children were shot in a road rage incident in Nassau County.
While JSO has not said Thursday’s incident is road rage-related, data shows road rage incidents involving guns are on the rise.
According to the latest data from the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a nonprofit research organization, in the first 10 months of 2024, 116 people were killed in road rage incidents involving guns.
Compared to 109 for the first 10 months of 2023. Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney said if drivers are ever in a situation where another driver is being aggressive--disengage as quickly as possible.
“In today’s date and time, it’s got to be one of these things where somebody wants to merge, somebody wants to get over, let them. That’s the advice that I give my friends and my family. You just gotta be the bigger person,” Hackney said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office by phone at (904) 630-0500, by email at jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org, or via CrimeStoppers at 866-845-TIPS