A shooting along eastbound I-94 near Roseville sent one person to the hospital and forced Michigan State Police to shut down the freeway for hours overnight. The gunfire broke out around 11:30 pm Saturday near 12 Mile Road in Macomb County, according to state police.
Troopers closed the stretch of eastbound I-94 through the overnight hours while they searched for evidence, as reported by ClickOnDetroit. All lanes reopened by early Sunday morning, and Michigan State Police have asked any witnesses or anyone with information about the shooting to contact investigators.
Part of a Persistent Pattern Along I-94
The Roseville shooting came three days after a similar case near Wadhams Road. On September 16, St. Clair County deputies arrested a 46-year-old driver accused of shooting at another car on eastbound I-94 near Wadhams Road, an arrest made possible after another motorist's dashcam footage identified the suspect's license plate, Hoodline previously reported.
It's the latest in a string of expressway shootings that have rattled Metro Detroit commuters this year. Michigan State Police reported in June that six freeway shootings occurred across the region's expressway network within a single two-month span, per CBS Detroit, including a June 9 incident on I-94 in Detroit that left two people injured. Earlier this month, troopers also investigated a separate I-94 shooting in Detroit in which a bullet penetrated a vehicle's door and struck the driver's seat, narrowly missing the driver.
Why Gunfire Keeps Erupting on the Freeways
Investigators can use dashcam footage on I-94 to help identify fleeing vehicles, as in the Wadhams Road case.
Freeway conflicts put uninvolved commuters at severe risk, since gunfire on an expressway can strike bystanders who have nothing to do with the underlying dispute.
In July, an undercover Wayne County sheriff's deputy came under fire during rolling surveillance on eastbound I-94 near Moross Road, an incident that triggered a multi-agency manhunt involving Detroit police, state troopers, and county deputies and temporarily shut down the freeway, Hoodline reported at the time.
What Charges Could Follow
Michigan law makes intentionally discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Macomb County has pursued such charges before. Prosecutor Peter Lucido announced in January that a 21-year-old Clinton Township driver was bound over to circuit court on felony charges of discharging a firearm from a vehicle and felonious assault following a separate vehicle shooting in the county, CBS Detroit reported. Lucido said at the time that firing from a vehicle represents an extreme threat to public safety.
Whether the Roseville shooting will result in similar charges remains to be seen, as no suspect has been publicly identified in connection with Saturday night's incident. A full closure of I-94 near 12 Mile Road can disrupt traffic well beyond the freeway itself.
