Five vehicles were hit by gun shots along Interstate 64 in Virginia prompting authorities to shut down 20-mile stretch of the highway between Charlottesville and Waynesboro for nearly six hours. Virginia State Police are currently searching for suspects involved in the series of shootings.
Two people have reportedly suffered non-life threatening injured, but it’s not sure whether their wounds were caused by the gunfire or by broken glass and fragments caused by the shots.
According to Sgt. Dave Cooper, the five vehicles were hit by gunfire in three separate locations along I-64. Police dispatchers received the first report of gunfire on the interstate at 12:10 a.m. near mile marker 114 on the on-ramp to westbound I-64.
"I really don't have a good feel for how long this went on," state police Col. Steve Flaherty said.
"We have evidence that it was more than one suspect."
Three other vehicles were shot near the overpass at mile marker 106 and the fifth vehicle hit belonged to the Virginia Department of Transportation. The vehicle was parked in the vicinity of the Yancey Mill exit of I-64 and was unoccupied.
Although police has chosen not to release the type of weapon used, the shell casings found at the shooting scenes indicate that the shootings are related. The shell casings will also be the subject of the investigation carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Virginia Police acted promptly and shut down the stretch of the highway where the shootings took place. However, I-64 was opened shortly after 6 a.m. this morning. The area affected by the gun fire and the shutdown was near Charlottesville, Va.
Police continue the hunt for the multiple gunmen suspected of shooting at motorists on the interstate.