Road rage incident leads to shooting on I-96 in Detroit

Incident not related to other freeway shootings, police say

DETROIT – In a second incident in weeks, a driver said he was shot at on a Detroit freeway.

State police said the latest shooting was an act of road rage.

The shooting happened just before midnight on I-96 between Warren Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

The victim said after being shot at, he pulled off the freeway and got to a safe place.

Once he was parked in the garage at MGM Grand, he called police.

The victim, an Ypsilanti man, was heading to Detroit when he said he inadvertently cut off another driver just west of Interstate 94.

The victim said the other driver started tailgating him, and he admitted he may have slowed down in response.

The victim said after a few seconds, he moved over to the right lane and the other driver pulled up beside him. Then somewhere on I-96 between Warren Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard, he was shot at, the driver said.

The shooting follows multiple others on I-96 and I-94 earlier this month.

While state police believe one person is responsible for the prior shootings, investigators said they do not believe they are connected to Saturday's incident.

"That was totally different situation," police said. "The other shootings (were) on Dec. 7. There was no road rage incident. This definitely was an incident that happened between two drivers that escalated into gunfire."

Police are reminding drivers to be vigilant, courteous and to take precautions on the road.

"Avoid eye contact, exit freeway and then get back on, or just let that person continue on. It’s not worth it. You never know what’s going to happen," police said.

The victim said he believes there were three people inside the gunman's light-colored vehicle.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Michigan State Police.


About the Authors:

Priya joined WDIV-Local 4 in 2013 as a reporter and fill-in anchor. Education: B.A. in Communications/Post Grad in Advanced Journalism

Dawn Jorgenson, Graham Media Group Branded Content Managing Editor, began working with the group in April 2013. She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in electronic media.