A series of shootings along Interstate 40 in Raleigh has unsettled local residents and commuters. Multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating the incidents. Earlier today, police swarmed the area near Trailwood Drive, close to NC State University, after a reported shooting led to a lockdown at Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School. CBS 17 reported that a man driving on Trailwood heard a "boom" and his window shattered around 8:50 a.m. He quickly pulled over and called 911.
The series of events bears a troubling resemblance to a slew of reported vehicle shootings along I-40, which have been under investigation by the Raleigh Police Department (RPD). As per ABC11's coverage, on Wednesday, before dawn, police were called to a location along I-40 near the Chapel Hill Road exit. In that time frame, multiple vehicles reported gunfire damage, although remarkably no injuries were reported following these occurrences.
The shooting incidents started with a more serious one, where a woman was shot in the leg while driving on I-40. Her injuries were not life-threatening, according to police. The incidents have similar locations and circumstances, leading the Raleigh Police Department to investigate a possible connection.
No arrests have been made thus far, and while the RPD has ruled out road rage as the motive, the connection between these incidents is still the subject of an ongoing investigation. "We are incredibly fortunate and thankful nobody was injured in today's incidents. However, we recognize that these events are concerning and frightening to those that travel on that stretch of highway, and we are taking these events very seriously," said RPD, as mentioned in a statement by ABC11.